


What a Malachai Cherishes - Incredulity -

by AmazingAmethyst12



Series: What a Malachai Cherishes [1]
Category: The Chronicles of Nick - Sherrilyn Kenyon
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Fanfiction, Horror, Loss, M/M, Multi, Original Character(s), Original Universe, Primary Gods, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-20 17:00:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30008046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmazingAmethyst12/pseuds/AmazingAmethyst12
Summary: Maia has returned and arisen.What does this mean for the entirety of the whole Macrocosm? Unfortunately, no one knows but the only thing everyone, especially the primal gods and the supposed ‘creators’ of the Source knows, is that everyone will face severe consequences for their actions with no creature powerful enough to face Her. Noir is aware of this and does everything in his power to get the current Malachai in his grasps, a demon that's the whole summation of evil and perhaps be able to stop Maia from doing what needs to be done.Nick Gautier wants to be like any teenage boy. To walk down the streets of the French Quartier without getting attacked by preternatural predators. To have normal problems that everyone else has. To have the most normal life he could possibly think of. (If that’s possible.) But ever since he found out the truth of what he truly was, he doesn't know what to believe in. All he knows is that the future has so many routes and so many outcomes that could potentially determine the fate of the existence itself.How's a fifteen year old supposed to know what the future may bring?Apparently, a lot he's not prepared for.
Relationships: Bubba Burdette/Cherise Gautier, Nick Gautier/Nekoda Kennedy | Belam
Series: What a Malachai Cherishes [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2207433
Kudos: 1





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Most, if not all characters belong to Sherrilyn McQueen, the rest belong to me.  
> The story takes place at the beginning of Inferno. (We're just going to pretend that Books 7 and 8 did not happen...)  
> You can also find this story on Quotev.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Does this take place in the time of current events or is it taking place in the distance future where we get flashbacks? Eyna gives a little girl some explanation as to why her father acts the way he does. Arduldril was told a lot more than she anticipated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prologue may look out of place for the story but trust me, it is at the beginning for a reason.

**. . .**

“ _Adrashana_ , why is _Dammak_ the way he is?” A child's voice can be heard from behind.

Staring at her reflection in the mirror that reached from her head to the hem of her dress, she placed down a red hair brush on the dresser beside her and gazed at the six-year-old girl through her own reflection. The woman’s beautifully sculptured face wrinkled a bit due to confusion. Several questions made their way in her brain as she tried to figure out how to respond.

Still in the blank slate of nothingness, the woman asked, “What do you mean?”

From the mirror alone, the little girl with hair darker than the woman’s, kicked her feet, despite the green dress that covered her short legs entirely. Of course, like any adult would, Eyna’s job was to educate the little one on many things and scolding her for ruining a newly made dress was no exception. She considered doing so, but the question the little girl asked was serious, unlike the other times when the kid’s mischievous and sarcastic retorts almost got to her last nerve. Sitting on a blue ottoman, the girl nervously played with her fingers.

After a moment of silence, the girl glanced up at her family member, her sapphire blue eyes were rich with determination, “You know my _Dammak_ , right? He’s funny and caring at times but when I see him all alone, I feel hurt. Sometimes I wonder why he’s like that. It’s like he’s putting up a Halloween mask just to cover what he truly feels. Why does he do that? He makes no sense.”

Eyna took a deep breath in. She pulled out another ottoman and settled down beside the young girl. The adult knew that at some point Arduldril would ask that question, she just didn’t know why it had to be so soon. It was obvious that her father didn’t want to further disclose on the past and unlike Arduldril, Eyna understood why and she was there through all of it. Those events are best left unknown to the innocent girl, who had no idea what actual pain and torture was. Eyna kept recalling of the time when the girl’s father was just as innocent, relaxed, outgoing and not afraid to voice out his thoughts and ideas. The same socially awkward adolescent with a hideous shirt as his casual wear and rare cerulean eyes that could easily be mistaken for the sky on a clear sunny day.

Alas, the times had changed and life brutally pounded him until he could never be himself again. The time in which he lost himself in sorrow and nothing stabbed at Eyna’s heart more than to see tears of sadness cloud his eyes. She prayed that his little _fille_ would never see that side of him and so far, her prayers had been answered. For how long she will remain sheltered from it, Eyna had no idea.

Arduldril repositioned the ottoman she was sitting on, so she could directly face her aunt. When she dared to look up at Eyna, a hue of familiar sadness seemed to darken her green eyes. The same sadness that seemed to plague her own father and it was something she could not understand. Taking her aunt's large hand into her significantly small one, she wanted to comfort her and make the sadness go away.

Arduldril furrowed her eyebrows in worry, "Why do you look hurt, _Adrashana_?"

Eyna briefly shut her eyes closed and feigned a smile, "It's nothing. Sometimes, life gets to me and it painfully reminds me of things I regret, of things and people I've lost. Your father has been through worse than I have, despite myself being way older than him.”

Eyna got up and ambled towards the glass double doors to her right. The little girl followed suit with a rush of energy that fueled her lively steps. Opening the doors, the woman took in the fresh scent of nature as a soft breeze brushed her long black hair to the side. Shortly after, the six-year-old appeared right next to her, staring off at the city that slowly grew in size over her lifetime. As Eyna sat down on a nearby chair, she offered the younger one to sit next to her. Seeing no other option, the girl climbed up, wondering why she was outside on the balcony.

"You know, your _Dammak_ used to be as carefree as you are. Back then, he helped the previous leader of this dominion improve a lot of living conditions here and in other countries."

Arduldril grabbed a few of Eyna’s fingers, listening intently to the information she wanted to know about, "That's hard to believe. My _Dammak_ is as lazy as a sloth. He probably has a world record of it somewhere just to prove it."

That statement earned Eyna a smile, "And he was just as sassy and sarcastic as you. You may look like your mother but you have the same stubborn Cajun attitude like your father."

"My mother? You and _Dammak_ never talk about her. Why's that?" The girl with pitch black hair asked as she tilted her head.

"What I'm going to tell you, is a story your local librarian has no knowledge of. One that is filled with obstacles and challenges regular people don't usually face. Get comfortable, cause' it'll be entertaining. I promise you." She took out a smooth white stone and pressed her fingers on it lightly.

When it started to glow a pink color, it created an image of a place the little girl had no recognition of.

"Not a normal story? Well, I hope it's better than the awkward bedtime stories _Dammak_ tells. They’re so boring and awkward that my brain has constant battle-to-the-death-wars with itself. Just another excuse to miss tutoring classes due to the headaches I get in the morning."

The woman beside her laughed, "Yeah, he isn't known to be the best storyteller in the whole world but he did the best he could and you should be grateful.”

"That I am. He's got hurt a lot because of me. Someday in the future, I want to repay him for everything he's done for me." The little one felt it in her right at least.

Eyna fixed the girl’s hair a little, "You tell him that and he’ll tell you that you owe him nothing. You breathing and alive is enough of repayment itself."

Arduldril scrunched her tiny nose in the most adorable way, "That's something I just don't get. Is he not expecting payment?"

"To a father, the wellbeing of his own daughter matters more to him than a whole universe with the finest gold combined. He would literally eat cereal made out of nails and glass for your safety and happiness."

Sapphire blue eyes gazed up at the image of a city she had no knowledge of, wondering where the city could be in this world and also why her father was the way he was.

"This is a story of a typical fourteen-year-old boy, whose life was to live in poverty. That didn’t mean he didn't find happiness. He lived with his mother, who's struggling to make ends meet. I'll give you a simplified version of the story. When you're older, I'll tell you with more detail. Oh, and by the way, don't tell your father I'm sharing this story with you."

Arduldril squinted her eyes, "Why? Is the story forbidden?"

"Don't sass me too much, girl. Now, pay attention."

Eyna made the image larger so both her and the girl could see the minor details. In seconds, the image started to move within it. The leaves of the trees swayed and small, ruined houses were visible. A kid version of Arduldril's father walked up to a door, wearing an orange shirt with worn out pants and an old backpack hung behind his back. A clearly irritated expression was evident on his face. When he twisted the doorknob, he faced a woman with blond hair and the same cerulean eyes. Arduldril's eyes widen, wondering if she was his sister but something in her told her that it wasn't the case.

The woman gave a very stern look to the boy. A look Arduldril knew so well.

**"You should be asleep, Mom."**

Bad move on your part, sir. If Arduldril said that to her father with that look clearly visible on his face, more than likely he'll summon adoption papers, sign them off and toss her to the nearest family.

Eyna had no idea what life was for him back then, before they met. He prefers not to mention any of it. Perhaps she can comprehend why and through the white stone she found recently, she can find all the answers needed. The trick was, she has to merge her powers with the stone's, an ability she had little to no experience in. She wanted what was best for the small family duo and it was something she promised the younger brother of her deceased lover. The younger brother who's only daughter was sitting beside her lap right now. How Arduldril Gautier came into being will remain a mystery for everyone in the whole dominion and it's not something her father would be comfortable disclosing soon.

Neither was Eyna, for she agreed to go on with the ritual that was likely to fail. Yet here was the heir to the dominion, alive and sassy enough for the whole world to acknowledge. And with their enemies growing tenfold each year, it's only a matter of time before they figure out Arduldril's other 'heritage'. Something Eyna would not allow to happen.

Over her dead body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some of the pronunciation and translations:
> 
> Translations from a language I have yet to name:  
> Dammak = Father (Formally)  
> Adrashana = Aunt
> 
> Arduldril (Yeah, you don't pronounce it the way it looks)  
> Ar-dur-ray


	2. Chapter 1 - A Demon in Need -

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Point of View: Nick Gautier
> 
> Apparently, Nick does not like to take out the trash three times a day, but it's not like he had a choice or does he? 
> 
> Cherise 'drags' him to her job to teach him how to be more 'social'. Nick doesn't see the point of it but if he wasn't at the Sanctuary at that peculiar time, God knows how he would react to see Caleb more ticked off than usual, or at least that Nick's impression of him.

**. . .**

Is this really necessary? I know I did my homework, tidied up my room, took the trash to the garbage disposal three times today yet my mom expects me to associate with the outside world in the weirdest place of New Orleans. I love my mom to bits but taking her only son out of his comfort zone is not a good idea. Especially when he’s exhausted and not exaggerating about it. Worst of all, my mom was driving to the place. I know how to drive and I passed the driver’s exam with flying colors yet she insisted on taking the wheel and taking me there like I was a four-year-old going to preschool with a lousy haircut and some superhero backpack. Include that with the overly obnoxious orange t-shirt with worn out jeans and shoes that made me wonder if they were made in the sixties. Despite my complaints, she persisted that these ‘clothes’ were decent and that I should be more appreciative. I’m more appreciative at being alive than being alive in the monstrosity going to a place full of people that don’t deserve to get eye seizures when they look at my general direction. Bad enough that the majority thinks I’m Cajun trash, no need to make them point out the obvious reason for why.

When I spotted the iconic brick building, I knew there was no turning back. I got out of the car while my mom walked towards the entrance with her purse and a blue bag with her other clothes suitable for her job. To keep my paranoia from going up the sanity meter, I sauntered beside her, making sure no creeps were here to do any ‘funny business’, especially at night. When the double doors closed behind us, Aimee gave us a welcoming smile, setting down her books on a near round table where customers eat at. My mom almost ran up to her and gave her a hug, despite being a lot shorter than Aimee.

“Ms. Gautier, it wasn’t necessary for you to come here and cover the evening shift. I know you must be tired after all the hard work you did this week and even Papa Bear considered that you need a week off.” Aimee returned the hug.

“It’s because of you and all the lovely people that work here that accepted me. You don’t know how much I owe you.”

Aimee laughed, “It’s fine, you don’t owe us nothing, _cher_.”

She lifted her face to meet my own, “You brought your boy here?”

My mom placed down her bag and purse on the same table where Aimee’s books stood, “Yes, I was wondering if you can allow him to be a waiter for today. I know he works with Mr. Hunter but I just can’t shake the feeling that he’s not associating with a lot of people, he’s all cooped up in Rosa’s office after all.”

I made a face at her, while dramatically laying my hand on my chest, “Excuse me but I do talk to people while I’m ‘all cooped up’. The method I use is different and it involves straining my eyes all day while looking at a computer screen and reading emails.”

Besides, I get to actually go outside to deliver and receive items from different people involved in the same work field. If that’s not ‘associating’ with people then I don’t know what is.

As always when I retorted, she glared at me, “Don’t sass me boy. Someday in the future you’ll thank me for giving you an early start at socializing with people from different backgrounds. People can be unpredictable and because of that, I’m giving you a chance at a job that requires you to socialize frequently. You’ll get used to it to the point that it’ll become second nature to you.”

Ha, like anyone would like to hang out with me with this hideous shirt on.

“Hmm, alright. In the meantime, wait here. I’ll get your boy all suited up.” Aimee said as she lifted the pile of books from the table and headed left.

I heard my mom sigh while taking out a black t-shirt and apron out of the blue bag, “You stay here, Nicky. I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

Using her free hand, she kissed me on my forehead while I gagged, “Ma, you really gotta stop doing that. I’m a man now and in public?”

My mom’s back was facing me, “Oh shush, you’re growing up but that doesn’t stop me from showing my love to my Boo.”

I crinkled my face as she disappeared in the lady’s restroom.

Tucking my hands into my pockets, I settled down on a chair next the same round table. Reclining against the chair, I observed the people that came and went out of the Sanctuary. Some stayed and some ordered for pick ups and left. Those who stayed, chatted on needlessly. Their conversations went from ‘how was your day’ to ‘they gave me a raise at my job’. Something along those topics. I really wanted to distract myself and go to the arcade room but my mom told me to stay here and the last time I didn’t obey her command, I got shot.

Karma really knows how to catch her victims. Wished I was smarter.

Just when I fully convinced myself that I was going to rot here from old age, my mom finally came out of the hallway, with the black t-shirt and apron on. A second later, Aimee came from the other hallway with a blue bag similar to my mother’s. She set it on the table next to me and whispered,

“Good Luck.”

“Thanks.” I whispered back.

I stood up, grabbed the bag and headed for the men’s restroom, thanking God that I at least get a break from the Hawaiian t-shirt I’m currently wearing. With the new clothes on and apron, I stepped out of the stall and quickly headed out.

When my mom saw me, she clapped her hands and smiled, “Is that really my boy?”

I sheepishly grinned, “Yes, the one and only. I like these clothes, Mom. Maybe this should be the clothes you should consider buying at Goodwill. Plus, we actually have the money for it.”

And not to mention my weekly salary from the two jobs I worked at.

The smile on my mom turned upside down in an instant, “Stop complaining. No matter how hard I try, I still can’t convince you that those shirts are decent. I’m sure Miss Kennedy can agree with me.”

Yeah, Kody probably will, considering she did mention it was my signature outfit and that only I can make those shirts look good. Makes me wonder why she wanted to date me in the first place. No matter the reason, I’m glad I get to be her boyfriend and I’m no longer the only freshman without a girlfriend. 

Speaking of our relationship, our first anniversary was coming up and the fact I don’t know what the give her was superglued in my mind. I mean, now that I think about it, I’ve been too preoccupied trying to clear my name and Brynna’s from the ‘stunt’ her friend, Dina, made. More humiliating than that, I got arrested for rape and theft and in front of my mother and the whole school to see. Good thing they dropped all the charges after Dina announced what she did and to further close the case, she went to prison right after. Anyone would think that’s a harsh punishment but trust me when I say that if you ever get backstabbed by a close friend of yours over some petty thing, then you’ll think otherwise.

“Nicholas Ambrosius Gautier! Are you paying attention?!”

I blinked my eyes a few times, “To what?”

Not a good move on my part. It’s like throwing gasoline on a wild fire that’s expanding rapidly.

“You…”

Just as I thought she was giving me up for adoption, a familiar sweet voice echoed through the building. Turning around, my brain instantly turned into mush the moment I laid eyes on her. With bright green eyes, long brown hair and that classic cream sweater that always managed to make me a brainless idiot, she was the definition of prettiness. And she happens to be my first love.

“Good evening Ms. Gautier and to you too…handsome.”

Work tongue. Work.

“G-good evening Kody.” I really wanted to kiss her but I’m not sure how my mom would react to that in the state she’s in.

“Good evening Miss Kennedy. What brings you here late at night?” Mom asked as she took out a pencil and a note pad.

“Nothing much Ms. Gautier. I heard that Nick was going to be a waiter today so, I wanted to see how it goes. Maybe I’ll teach him a few things.”

My mom shook her head, “It’s fine. You don’t have to trouble yourself.”

“But I insist. Don’t worry. I’m sure your boy will make for a good waiter, probably a good cook too.”

Don’t know how to react to that. What does be a good cook have to do in surviving the supernatural world? I rather be taught defensive fighting tactics than burn up the kitchen trying to get the food right.

Handing over the pencil and note pad, my mom concluded, “If it improves my son’s socializing skills, I don’t have a problem with you helping out.”

She passed me a ‘go-on-and-get-out-there’ look, “Do your best, Boo.”

“So, you’re not going to give me any pointers? Like for example, how not to look awkward or stub my toe on nearby chair legs?”

In return, I got a scowl, “Oh for God sake’s Nicky! I know you’ll do great. You just have faith in yourself, just like I do. You can’t stay in this phase forever. You claim that you’re a man and as such you should live up to a sophisticated one. It may seem that I’m pushing you but how else are you going to learn? It’s in my right as your mother, you know?”

Yeah, and unfortunately for me, I have no lawyer to defend for my right as a 'sophisticated man' without having my mom butting me around in public. She really does know how to lower my self-esteem and image. Like I had any to begin with.

Yet, as repeatedly mentioned in 'made-for-kid’s rules', first respect and love your parents above anyone else. Well, for a catholic such as my mom, God will be the only exception. Okay, fine. I'll admit that's the only rule I'll gladly oblige by but the others can go kiss their own asses because taking out the trash three times a day is so unfair, especially since my legs, as told by my own mother, are hollow. Due to my ever-lengthening body, it's easy for me to stumble on things and not to mention my clumsiness. God, now people think I'm acting out for a clown interview performance.

Nevertheless, I will go to the moon and back to make her and Kody happy and if humiliating myself for one night was the only way, I’ll bite the bullet…err…take another bullet since I already had one on my shoulder.

“I know, Mom.”

As she disappeared into the hallway that led to the Sanctuary’s kitchen, Kody took my hand and led me to an available table on her right.

“You know, Kode, I wasn’t expecting you to come here this late.”

In response, she laughed harmoniously, “I guess you can’t expect the unexpected. So, your mom made you come here?”

“Yeah, with chains, ropes and everything. She made sure to superglue a tracking device on me if I ever decide to hit the high road.”

“Sounds like you don’t want to be here. I’ve noticed that you’ve been working a lot harder this week. How come?”

Oh, yeah.

I rubbed the back of my neck, “Well, our first anniversary is coming up soon and…I want to save up to buy you something special.”

I really tried hard not to sound awkward in front of her. At least I didn’t studder.

Her dazzling green eyes burned brighter as a pink hue appeared on her cheeks, which made her eyes stand out even more. Most importantly, her pink lips formed a wide smile that made my insides turn to mush.

But all of that faded away when she sighed wearily, “You don’t have to buy me anything. Your being is all I need from you to celebrate our first year together and to be honest, I wasn’t expecting to meet a person with a noble and kind heart such as yours.”

I sat there, a little shocked and uncomfortable by the many compliments I received, "I'm sure there's people out there more noble and kind than me. I'm just trying to uphold my morals because the world is in need of some sane people."

_'Despite your true identity?'_

Her question transferred into my head.

_'Trust me, I never asked to be a cold, heartless sucking demon. All I ask for in my life is for my Mom to show me some mercy when I don't get a perfect grade in biology.'_

It's a good thing I learned to send my thoughts to people properly, unlike the other powers I have yet to control. I don't want other people turning into goats when I try to save them.

_'You won't Nick. In time, you'll learn how to master all of them. No one is born naturally with control and power at the same time. What good is having the power to do something when you have no experience doing it. It's like teaching a baby how to drive a car. The baby has the potential to, but the infant isn't fully developed for the high cognitive skills necessary in order to drive a car safely.'_

I chuckled, “I never seen a baby take the wheel of a vehicle before.”

Her smile came back, “Neither have I, but you get the point.”

“I would love to sit here all night and chat with you, _cher_ , but I have to follow my mom's orders. Are you planning on staying here for a while?” I regretted standing up as I pushed the chair in.

Kody remaining seated was a good enough answer for me.

“Think of me as moral support.” Kody crossed her arms on the table.

I winked at her before heading out to other tables that had been recently occupied.

Let’s see…How does a waiter address a customer? You three brain cells better start working.

I approached a table while staring down at the notepad Mom gave me.

“Hello, may I get your order?”

“Really Gautier? You don’t have to sound like you’re scared out of your life. Plus, there are many other things to get scared of than this. Like that Trexian we faced.”

I removed the notepad from in front of me, while glaring at my demon bodyguard whose leaning on the chair with his hand out on the table, his fingers tapping. A few seconds later, he eyed what I wore.

“New clothes? At least their better than those other ‘shirts’, not to offend your mom’s taste or anything.”

“Thanks for finally agreeing with me on something Caleb. No offence taken. I’m making ‘convincing-my-mom’ my long-term goal that those shirts I wear on a daily basis are hideous.”

He raised his eyebrow as he leaned forward, “You sure they don’t serve a purpose? You know, if it weren’t for that orange shirt, you’ll be cemented in a local graveyard.”

I rolled my eyes at him, “I guess so, but that’s the only use they have instead of making me into a glowing neon humiliate-me sign.”

“Trust me, there exists more humiliating things in the world. Remember when I ‘vandalized’ that cop car? Had been through worse than that.”

“Yeah…are you here to order something or…?”

“No, punkin’. I’m here to ridicule you in front of everyone and make your mom think that you need to go to the insane asylum. Nah, duh.”

“Cut me some slack, will you Malphas? Why are you truly here for?”

For some reason, he looked directly towards the window, where automobiles flew by, “I was sent here by your father. Did you suffer from memory loss or is it that your three brain cells can’t render that information?”

That was strange and concerning, “My brain works fine, mind you. Wait. Please don’t tell me that you’re going to kill me here, right now? Cay, I thought we were friends!”

“Don’t make me summon my mace again or I’ll probably consider it. No, dimwit. I’m here because your bitch of a father gave me a boxing performance. I barely made it here.”

That changed my whole mood completely. Worry clouded me as I sat down beside him and without second thoughts, checked to see where my sperm donor gave my friend the light of day. Caleb hissed when I touched his arm and quickly recoiled it. I know he saved my life countless of times before and I owe him a huge debt for that. It’s due to my father that Caleb gets hurt frequently and I just don’t understand why, but the answer was plain as day. The answer was one of the reasons I loathe him with every fiber of my being.

A creature like him can’t love, the only reason that I am an exception is because I was nurtured by my mom and she taught me what love was. If there was anything I can do, I want to help Caleb out and pay my ‘father’ a ‘friendly’ visit when I’m in control of all of my powers. The bastard won’t know what’s coming.

I looked up at Caleb, who was enduring the pain.

I said to him, “I wish there was some way you can break free of him. I hate to see anyone in pain, especially people like you.”

Caleb’s brown eyes squinted at me in agony, “Have you been using inhalants lately?”

I shook my head, “No. I’m just trying to repay the debt that I owe you. Let me help you. We’re friends after all.”

I waited for him to reply but he gave me a look of disbelief and I saw fear in him. Something I don’t usually see from him. Then, waves of unexpecting emotions came bulldozing me like needles piercing through my skin. I have no reason to feel this way but as of now, I realized that these weren’t my emotions to feel.

They were Caleb’s.


	3. Chapter 2 - Weirder to Weirdest -

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Point of View: Nick Gautier
> 
> What happens when you suddenly travel back in time to when your best friend's wife is still alive? What would you say? What would you do?

**. . .**

Sitting in the same room surrounded by at least twenty-five breathing entities, that I happened to stay with for the whole school year, should be the least of my worries. Chemistry wasn't one of my strong suits and because of that, my mom confiscated all of my video games and consoles. I tried to focus on the substitute teacher and jot down some notes about the chemical changes in a rotting apple but honestly, the only thing that's rotting here all day is my deflated brain cells. Seriously, even the tone of the teacher's voice was proof that he didn't want to be here surrounded by hormonal fueled teenagers.

Tuning out the teacher's explanation about atoms, I took a quick glimpse of Kody on my right. Her beautiful green eyes were focused on the notes she's jotting down and I can't get enough of that pink sweater and tight white shirt. To the rest of the class, she was just a classmate, ready to learn about everything, but to me, she's here to protect me from other beings that want to have me on their menu. Also, worth noting, she's my first love and in a few days, we'll be celebrating our first anniversary.

Whoa, people weren't kidding when they say that time goes fast and here, I thought I just passed out from everything and ended up in the future. Just thinking about makes me wonder what my future self would say, but then again, Ambrose had already made that fantasy into a reality and according to him, the future is not looking so bright.

Tapping my pencil on my desk, I gazed at my left side, were Caleb and his dark, Hollywood appearance clashed with his light gray designer's hoodie. He had his designer's bookbag hanging on his chair with a hydro flask attached to its side. Despite his irritated expression, I can tell that his injuries aren't fully healed yet. Before I was able to look back at the white board, Caleb eyes caught my own and I froze in place.

_'What is it, Gautier?'_

Knowing that he was giving me a cold shoulder, I decided to cheer him up.

I grinned more openly than I should, _'Do you want to go to Bubba's Triple B this afternoon. I heard the next class will be about How to Survive an Apocalypse 101. This time, Mark is going to be a zombie dummy.'_

Instead of his usual laugh, he gave me an annoyed glare.

_'What are you up to this time?'_

That's when I really started to worry.

_'Caleb, are you doing okay? You haven't been…well…yourself lately.'_

He sighed as he placed his chin on his left hand and passed me a dull look.

_'I'm not in the mood right now, Gautier. I'll consider going but I have a lot on my mind. You bothering me with annoying questions isn't helping much either.'_

_'Do you mind talking about it? You can teleport us to Cafe Du Monde for a little bit during lunch next period. I'm sure Kody won't mind, she'll understand.'_

If you say yes, I'll be looking forward to those powdery beignets while also getting away from this debilitating institution.

Finally, his cold shoulder melted a bit.

_'I like the way how you specifically said 'you can teleport us'. Why? Are you not confident with your teleporting abilities yet?'_

My grin widens.

_'Well…unless you want to end up at the Arctic Circle naked in your underwear, sign yourself up at the Nick Gautier Express, where it's guaranteed your private parts will freeze to death.'_

I felt satisfied when he gave me a smile. It took a few moments before he finally answered.

_'Fine, it's not like I planned to go anywhere. Not like I have a choice but to follow your agitating hemorrhoid all day.'_

I pouted before I was forced to pay attention to the teacher using another unused dry erase marker on the white board.

When the alarm for lunch finally rang, it wasn’t a surprise for me to see all of my classmates rushing out of the door as if they were avoiding a disease and I can't say I blame them. Being in an enclosed room with a bunch of other people you're forced to spend the rest of the year with is enough of a disease as it is. I should probably do the same too. I slid my chair in and hoped that the teacher won't call me out, either if it's for something minor or nothing at all. When my foot finally passed the doorway, I was officially out of the danger zone, for now.

Kody came rushing to my left side near the lockers, her brown hair flowing behind her. She took my hand into her soft one and we walked across the hallway to the cafeteria but, unlike the other times, I had to let go of her hand.

She in return gave a sad smile, "Go with Caleb. I'll be in our next class. I hope he's alright. I know just recently I acknowledged him as a friend and ally but my concern has grown tenfold after what happened at the Sanctuary last Friday."

Yeah, at least I didn’t have to be there that long after that.

I kissed her cheek, despite the PDS rules against it that I'm pretty sure no one in this school seem to follow, "Cheer up Kode, it's probably not that serious. My father still needs him alive to continue his plan to suck my powers out. Even if he were to kill him, he and I both know that it would be a waste. Besides, I ain't gonna let that happen. Over my dead Cajun, spaghetti monster body."

She relaxed her shoulders a bit and laughed, "I hope you're right, anyway; I'll be sitting near Brynna and LaShonda in the middle of the cafeteria, in case the both of you make it early."

"Okay, see you soon."

She flashed me a pretty smile before walking towards the double doors that led to the overly loud cafeteria. That place would probably be the only reason why I'll be deaf in ten years.

Once the hallways were cleared, I made my way in the men’s restroom, praying to God that no one took a number two recently because woes me and the janitors that have to clean up afterwards. Hoping that my sense of smell was dull today, I walked up to a mirror and a sink. Turning on the water and getting some soap from the side, I washed my hands harshly. As I finished, I gazed up at the mirror to see Caleb standing right next to me, arms crossed.

I took a deep breath in before turning around and splashing water all over the troll's face. Unfortunately for me, he vanished into dust before reappearing beside me, laughing.

My heart sped up unexpectedly and as a result, I launched for him. The daeva disappeared again but this time, he manifested a few feet in front of me with his hands up.

“Take a chill pill, Gautier. It's just me.”

I snorted, "Yeah right, chill pill my ass. Normal people don't just teleport behind another person, in a bathroom where they're most vulnerable and exposed and doing their business. Ever heard of the word ' _privacy_ '? You should add that to your _'Words to Know_ ' vocabulary list."

"Hey, in my defense, you suggested to go to Cafe Du Monde. You never told me to _not_ teleport behind you in a _bathroom_. You look as if you've mistaken me for a McDonald's killer clown."

I sucked my breath in harshly and shoved him to the side a little, "I hate it when you're right, Malphas. And seriously, stop with the killer clown references. They're the main reason why I don't go outside at night. I literally saw a video of one of them holding a functioning chainsaw in the middle of the road that would've made Bubba proud. A chainsaw. Ain't matter how much my boss pays me, I'm not about to be Nick McNuggets and go out there unarmed."

"You get attacked by mutants, demons and zombies and yet clowns are what actually terrify you and make you wet your pants." Caleb stated, his brown eyes in search for an answer.

"It's a good thing my enemies don't know my greatest phobia. Better not give them any ideas. I rather not face an entire army of clowns with flamethrowers and chainsaws."

The daeva grinned as he placed his finger on his chin, "Now that's something I would actually lie back on my couch with popcorn to see. I wonder where people recruit clowns nowadays."

I pushed him again right after he said the last sentence, "Caleb!"

He smiled mischievously before snapping his fingers and teleporting us to the back of Cafe Du Monde. I would've punched him if he was actually serious of the whole 'raise a clown army' thing. There was no other living being in the universe that makes me want to crawl back to my mom and let her sing a lullaby while cradle me with a pacifier. Better to be safe than sorry.

We agreed to meet at the Jackson Square nearby after we take our orders. Shoving my receipt in the front pocket of my newly brought shirt, I ambled across the street towards the entrance of the small park. Standing there with a bag of sweets and a medium sized cup of coffee with the Cafe Du Monde's logo on it, Caleb stared directly at the statue of Andrew Jackson in the center of the whole park. Whenever tourists crossed paths with him, they would either just go by their day or stop to say 'hi'. Whichever route they choose, he would either ignored them or glance at them for a few seconds before gazing back to the famous dark statue. For a moment there, he seemed…secluded.

I shivered my head from creating anymore cryptic thoughts and shouted his name.

He turned his whole body around and gave me that distinctive scowl.

"Gautier."

"Malphas." 

I blurted out without second thoughts as I approached him.

“Took you long enough.”

I chuckled as I sauntered towards a dark green bench underneath the shadow of a tree that stood beside it. Caleb settled down after I did, resting the bag of sweets on his lap. Strangely enough, the day was quiet and peaceful, nothing was after me and no sign of anything out of place. I would say that this day is going dang good right now, but I shouldn't test Lady Luck and her ability to change my mood in one second flat. Last time I did that, it didn't end well for me. 

Beside me, I heard Caleb opening up the bag of unknown sweets he brought from the cafe. The fresh aroma of beignets filled my nostrils a second later. He pulled one out of the brown bag, cautious not to get the powder on his hoodie. When he took a bite of the sweet, he instantly crinkled his face, then wrapped the already bitten beignet in a napkin.

In that moment, one question came into my mind and I needed an answer.

"Caleb."

"Yes?" He replied in an irritated tone. I guess he didn't like the powdery sweet, too bad for him, he's going to miss out.

"You actually eat human food? I mean, I know you carry your lunchbox but do you actually have food in there?"

Dusting off the powder from his fingertips, he looked at me strangely, "Is this the reason why you wanted me to teleport you to Cafe Du Monde? To question my dietary needs? I expected you to ask something more irrelevant, yet you always seem to amaze me."

"Wow, I really like the love and attention you're giving me, Malphas. And no, that's not the reason. I just wanted to know if you're okay, both mentally and physically. You know, since my father gave you the light of day." I cringed when I even mentioned a little about my sperm donor, this time was no different.

Caleb shook his head, his dark hair strands moved along, "Why would you waste your time on this? I'm sure you can use your time productively and ask me to study with you for the exam next week."

He did have a point, but I had my reason.

"I can't really study in peace if I'm worried about the well-being of my only best friend."

Caleb immediately turned his head towards my direction, his brown eyes enlarged as if I said something, he had no recognition of. Since today was sunny and bright, the sun's rays managed to peak through the branches and leaves of the trees surrounding us. Those same rays beamed onto Caleb, turning his dark olive skin into a pure gold color and his left brown eye into hazel. That stunned me for a bit and left me in an unexplained haze.

"Be careful with your words, Nick. It's been a very long time since anyone considered me anything to them, let alone a friend. I’ve been enslaved by the Malachai for centuries now, been betrayed and…lost the only person I ever held dear in this world.”

I remained silent. I couldn’t fathom what my life would be like if I lost my mom or Kody. Of course, Ambrose was the mirror of the life I would live in if I did and that reflection was not pretty to look at. I eyed Caleb briefly, noticing that his demeanor changed and he gazed up at the sky, like he was searching for someone or something to embrace him.

Then, in a flash of light, all of my surroundings changed, except for Caleb and the bench we were sitting on. The statue of Andrew Jackson was no longer there and the buildings of the city were nowhere to be seen. I panicked, wondering if I accidently ate something, I wasn’t supposed to this morning. A few moments later, the light vanished, replaced by a rural area, with a small house in the distance. There were no electric lines or cars in sight and the house in the distance was seriously outdated. There were also no modern tools here, no people to be seen, no lawnmowers on the farm, and I’m convinced that there’s no service here either.

In the corner of my sight, a small flame of white light formed in midair and it gradually came closer to me. I backed up, expecting for the white fire to burn me but instead, it hovered back and forth. When I realized what it was trying to do, I got off the bench and waited for Caleb to say something. Concerning enough, he didn't. I turned on my heel to see him completely stationary, like that Jackson statue. I waved my hand in front of his face but he didn't react. He didn't do anything.

Oh great. Just what I needed. I got teleported to a different place, a weird colored fire wants to take me somewhere and my best friend is mimicking a statue.

The small fire started to twirl around me, kind of in anticipation. When the light stopped twirling, it slid across the sky, towards the house on top of the hill. Maybe it knows someone who can help me and Caleb get back home. I ran across the fields of different crops while trying not to step on them and make the farmer who planted them angry. I heard voices from the top as I got closer and when I arrived, the white flame remained on the side of the house. I ambled towards it, expecting it to do something else but it stayed there.

I saw warm light from the window near the flame and I used some large rocks to climb up towards the window. The window itself had no glass, which was an indicator that I was in a different time period. When I finally managed to peek through the window, I saw a fireplace and several shadow figures on the wall. The wall itself was decorated and in the center of it, there was a sword surrounded by strings of black and white feathers.

I ducked behind the window frame as I heard two voices nearby. Footsteps shortly after and a loud clicking noise.

"I can't believe it. I won't believe it." A voice that sounded just like Caleb's resonated.

I lifted myself up a little, careful not to make any noise that would throw off any suspicion. As my eyes came in contact with the people that just walked in the small home, I was baffled to see Caleb there. He appears as if he hasn't visited the local barber in a long time and he had a man beard that would've taken ages for me to grow. He wore a long grey tunic and a small scythe tied near his torso. Those weren't everyday clothes I come across at store displays, not even at Goodwill and the dude looked as if he hasn't stepped in a shower either. Or had known of their existence.

"I wish I was on the same page as you, brother, but the war has carried on and our enemies move swiftly. That's why I was sent here to aid you."

Brother? Caleb had a brother?

The person who spoke those words only towered Caleb by two inches but their physical similarities were clear as day. Caleb's brother had that same structured jawline I envied and the same jet black hair, only shorter. Despite their similarities, their eyes were a different color. Caleb’s eyes were brown while his other brother had the color of hazel. At least his choice of wear wasn't as dull as Caleb's. He wore some type of armor, with gauntlets, shoulder piece and all.

"It's nice to meet my Lord Husband's brother, despite the circumstances we are in. Come and sit, you must be weary."

The soft and calm voice came from a woman with long braided blond hair and eyes that held such kindness and warmth in them, it made me feel like I was welcomed. She wore a long coral sea green empire dress with a light blue shawl loosely tied around her shoulders.

Caleb’s brother held his hands up, “That won’t be necessary, Lilliana. I want to make this visit short so I won’t disturb the peaceful life you have with my brother. I thank you for keeping him safe, though, it won’t last long.”

“What do you mean ‘it won’t last long’ Xevikan? You’ve been sent here by our sad excuse for a father?” There was an exasperated tone in Caleb’s voice that quickly vanished when his brother began to explain himself.

“I loathe our father as much as you do and I wasn’t sent here by him. In fact, I came alone to warn you about the upcoming battle and I’m unsure that you and Lilliana will remain safe here.” There was a horrifying truth in Xevikan’s words that left Caleb and Lilliana tensed.

Lilliana took Caleb’s hand and flashed him a reassured smile. She stepped up to the sword that hung on the wall next to the feathers and touched the cloth of the sword gently. With no words needed to say out loud, Caleb understood what Lilliana meant and dashed up to her. He seized her small hand into his own and gave her a pleading look.

“We lived a humble life here, Caleb. Somehow, I knew and anticipated for this day to come. The day in which you depart for battle once again.” She reached out, removed the sword from the wall, then turned around and offered it to Caleb.

He almost jumped back, “Lil, I made I promise to you- “

“-that you would never pick up this sword’s hilt again? I know, I’m aware of that but we’re in a situation that demand for us to fight back. I told you to never use this sword for fear, hatred, or vengeance but I never said that you can’t use it for good intent and good intent only.”

She gazed at Caleb and his brother briefly before saying, “You shall not fight for evil intent, Lord Husband but rather, for the protection of everything and everyone that needs it. Protect those who you cherish and love the most and never let fear take control of this blade. When the war comes to end, return back home and place this blade upon this wall.”

She sauntered up to Xevikan, who lowered his head in respect, “Xevikan, I trust that you and my husband would find a way to end this war. We will leave once the sun rises. Protect your love ones and everything that you hold dear.”

“I will Lilliana. I pray that this war will end soon and I’ll protect you with my life. It’s clear that you are everything that my brother holds dear and I intend to bring the both of you here and alive.”

Lilliana hugged Xevikan then ambled up to Caleb, placed the sword on his hands and kissed him right on the spot. I had to look away from the make out session but I can’t deny it was a moment that was meaningful to the both of them.

It felt like a few hours since Xevikan left, the moon was out and I gazed up at the night sky, just to see so many stars in one place that left me gawking at the sight. It must be nice for the people in this time period to simply look up and see all of those white dots. Nothing like the French Quartier’s night sky, all you could see there was street lights and neon signs from shops and stores.

My poor legs gave up and I slowly sat down on a stack of hay near the stone cottage. The white flame next to me vanished right after and I was unsure if I should feel confused or annoyed.

How am I supposed to go home now? Cross my fingers and hope for the best? Yeah…I wished that worked, if it did, it would’ve saved me a lot of trouble, from the day I was born to right now.

Since it’s dark out, it makes sense to get some shut eye, but the fact that I’m in a time period in which there’s a war going on, it’s going to give me nightmares for all that is worth. I reclined my head against the straws of hay and tried my best to at least get a wink of sleep. Well, unlucky me, I heard footsteps coming towards my direction and my panic alarms went erratic. What if Past Caleb finds me here? What would he do? Will he kill me for sleeping here? If Caleb finds me here, would he remember me from the future? Am I screwing up the time continuum just by accidently ending up here? Gah, now I really wished there was an undo button somewhere.

“Are you okay, young sir? What are you doing out here in the cold?” A kind voice asked me.

Trying not to have a panic attack, I gulped as I thought of ways on how to respond to Lilliana, but apparently, my tongue decided to hit the high road.

She extended her hand out, grasping my shivering one and helped me on my feet.

“You’re not from here, are you?” She tried again while getting a straw of hay out of my hair.

“Um, yeah…I guess so.” Was all I managed to say.

“You look delirious. Were you planning to make that haystack your bed?”

“I guess so. I don’t know how I got here. One minute I was taking with my friend and then the next I ended up here.” No need to tell her I was talking to her husband from the future, that would weird her out.

She gave me a pensive look, “I don’t think that you would lie to me. What’s your name?”

“Nick.”

“Well Nick, follow me inside. I’ll spare you extra sheets so you won’t get cold.”

I was about to protest about it, but she was almost out of sight when I looked forward.

I was nervous when I stepped into my friend’s old home. It had a nice homey atmosphere to it to calm my nerves down. I took a good view of the place. Caleb lives in a house that was ten times larger than this and I don’t see him complain much. Really, what was there to complain about when you have everything you need in one place? There was food, a table with a few chairs and a separate room on my right.

Subsequently, when I examined the door that led to the other room, Caleb pulled the same door back and pushed it to the side. I stepped back, knowing that glare he gave me all too well.

“Lilliana, who is he?”

Wow, is that how you address your future best friend?

Lilliana came back with a few blankets in her arms, “I found him outside. He appeared very feverish, so I decided to let him stay here for the night. I hope you don’t mind.”

Caleb crossed his arms and growled, “Fine, if he starts to act suspicious, I’m kicking him out.”

“I have a name, you know and there’s no reason for you to act so harsh. What have I ever done to you to make you act so hostile towards me? You need a chill pill or somethin’.”

That further made Caleb vexed and made him walk up to me, our noses almost touching.

Ha, that’s not going to intimidate me in the slightest, Past Caleb.

“Dude, like I said, chill. I’m just going to grab some blankets and sleep on the other side of the house. That’s your side and this is my side. If you have trouble figuring out how much is on each side, I’ll happily draw a line for you to see.” I lifted the blankets Lilliana had for me and quickly walked across the cottage.

"What was that for?" Lilliana began, her kind tone vanished from that question.

"I'm trying to figure out if he's sent here by our enemies, Lil. Sometimes, you're too hospitable for your own good."

"What makes you think a boy like him, who doesn't know how he ended up here, was sent here by our enemies? I've read what dwelled in his heart and his heart is as pure as clear snow."

Heart as pure as snow? Never heard of that one before, mainly due to the fact it hardly snows where I come from. Their argument lasted for a few more minutes until Caleb gave in and was forced to apologize to me. Remind me to get a Lilliana for future Caleb when he's starts to act stubborn. Testy booger will ignore me til the ends of the Nether Realm and that's excluding the times he suffered from bad days.

"You over heard us, did you?" Caleb knelt down beside me, offering me some sort of food.

I smiled at him, "Apology accepted. I would feel the same way if some random boy pops up at my door step claiming that he doesn't know how he got there. And yeah, I heard you. It's hard to ignore a conversation that's happening behind a stone wall. Name's Nick Gautier. Nice to meet you Caleb."

More accurately, nice to meet the past you, with long hair and man beard.

His raised his eyebrow, "Nick Gautier? Never heard of that name around here."

I shifted my place on the stone floor, at least they don't have bugs crawling around the storage room, "That's because I'm not from around here. I'm more of a city person, not countryside."

Caleb eyed me weirdly, "I suppose that explains your 'choice' of wear."

Oh, I _totally_ forgot about this shirt, "Definitely not my preference. If it weren't for my mom and her insisting that this shirt is 'decent', I’ll bet you I’ll burn this shirt in a matter of seconds.”

The house remained silent after that, all I could here was Lilliana’s footsteps and the sound of fire cracking near the fireplace.

That silence was left to a halt when Caleb asked me, “Are you aware of the war that’s going on, little one?”

I leaned against the folded pile of blankets Lilliana gave me and I stared at the wooden ceiling, thinking about my answer.

I gave him my honest response, "Not really. Where I come from, war is basically ancient history. We only live with the remnants of past wars, not in them."

"Then how did you end up here? It's best for you to stay there. Why here?"

I sat up, my eyes meeting his, "That's what I'm trying to figure out."

Cause if I didn't, no one will and I'll be stuck here for as long as I exist. And that's a bad thing.

Caleb fiddled with the handle of the sword he was carrying and it wasn't just any sword, it was demonic. How I know that information was beyond me, but I can sense it. His sword wasn't too different from mine, except for the color scheme and design of the handle. While the Malachai sword had ancient birds spiraling around the pommel, his had an eerie green gem that seemed to glow. Then, all at once, images of Caleb with his demon armor played in my head. Images of him protecting his enemies and using his demonic powers to fight for the Kalosum, only to return back home with a dead wife and a brother who he assumed was responsible for her death.

My breathing came to a halt for just a moment. Realization hit me harder than the traffic jam on the Pontchartrain Bridge. He survived all of that and still managed to put up with my shit every single day. His pain hurts so much that it is asphyxiating and it might give me nightmares and migraines for days on end. Now that I think about it, I really don't deserve Caleb as a friend. We were raised and conceived in almost two different worlds at different time periods. Influenced by different people and experienced different situations. It was almost impossible to believe that we could ever find something in common to ever considered each other as a friend. I finally understood what Caleb meant when he said:

_**"Be careful with your words, Nick. It's been a very long time since anyone considered me anything to them, let alone a friend. I’ve been enslaved by the Malachai for centuries now, been betrayed and…lost the only person I ever held dear in this world.”** _

He had every reason to warn me but that doesn’t mean he has to live friendless forever.

I continued to gazed at the past Caleb, who looked skeptical at the sword he hadn't touched for so long. His long hair went past his shoulders a bit and his bangs covered most his forehead. The light from the fireplace illuminated it's surroundings and that included Caleb. The left side of his black hair turned into an orange hue and his skin turned amber and that left me starstruck. With this in mind, I can safely conclude that no matter what time period I was in, he still had that dark Hollywood appearance. Wait, why am I concerned about my friend's appearance in the first place? This probably is a dream and I fell asleep on that bench.

I'm pretty sure Mrs. Richardson is going to throw a hissy fit over my 'sudden absence', possibly even convince the principal that I should get expelled once in for all. Like Mr. Head needed convincing where I'm concern. One push of any button and he'll expell me for good.

A few good minutes had passed and I decided to hit the hay...literally. I fell asleep on a nearby haystack to my right. Not the best place to sleep but it was better than sleeping outside in the cold. I could hear Caleb’s footsteps near me and he was somehow calling out my name up until the point his voice was no longer recognizable.

_**Slap!** _

I opened my eyes immediately after that noise and to my relief, I was back at Jackson Square in New Orleans where I should be. When I was conscious enough to understand what was going on around me, Caleb kept waving his hand in front on my face while threatening to throw beignets at me.

Typical.

I grabbed his waving hand and blinked out of my trance or whatever I was in. He growled in response and used his other hand to point towards the people who were watching us from a distance.

I squinted at him in confusion. "What?"

He wrinkled his face even more, "Are. You. Serious."

I tilted my head, "About what?"

"I tried to move you out of this bench, yet you refused to budge, like you've cemented yourself on. We only have two minutes to return so I had to slap the stupid out of you to get you to react. Lo and behold, it worked."

He placed his hand on my head and forced me to turn my attention towards the people looking.

"And as a bonus, the people think you're dead or something and that kid over there thought that we were dating. She shouted that out too."

I almost laughed at that statement, "For real? Well, I can’t blame her if you’re currently in my personal space with _your_ hand on my head. She might expect us to give out our wedding invitations soon.”

With that statement out of the way, Caleb quickly withdrew his hand from my head, stood up and shoved a bag of sweets in my face. I grinned at him and he, in return, glared at me.

“Come on, _beau_ , let’s go back to class before you embarrass yourself any further.” He put more empathizes on the word ‘beau’ and because of that I choose to play along.

We ambled out of the square and crossed the road. When Caleb made it to the back of Cafe Du Monde, I notice a bright light glittering through the tree branches and leaves. I knew it was sunny out and it could’ve been the sunlight reflecting off of something but as I got closer to that particular tree, I heard a voice that spoke to me. A woman’s voice, one that I never heard of before.

**_“You will be saved. Follow what your heart desires, Ambrosius. Only then, will the path of light illuminate for you.”_ **

Her voice still reverberated inside of my head and she made her voice loud enough for my ears to hear. I turned my head towards that voice.

_‘Who are you?’_ I called out, waiting her response.

Nothing answered.

Great, this just made my day weirder.

“Gautier, we have thirty seconds left to get to class, let’s go!” Caleb shouted.

I ran to the back of the building, wondering what the universe has in store for me. I have a feeling it won’t be a good one. One second, we were outside and the next, we were standing in the boy’s bathroom, one of our classmates just got out of a stall. Yawning, he opened his eyes and jumped back.

“When did you guys get here? I didn’t hear anyone walk in.”

I looked over my shoulder towards Caleb and remarked.

_‘That could’ve been worse. Good thing we don’t have to spend the next fifteen seconds trying to brainwash his mind.’_

He didn’t look back but replied anyway.

_‘Another second longer and we’ll have a tardy pass and I don’t want to ruin your mom’s day because of your suggestion to go to Cafe Du Monde’_

_‘Did my suggestion help brighten your day?’_

_‘Let’s go to class, Gautier.’_

_‘I’ll take that as a yes.’_


	4. Chapter 3 - Not Enough for Society -

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Point of View: Antagh Ilivaere
> 
> Another world, another universe. When you thought that your life couldn't get any worse and you found out that your whole life was a lie. That actually happened to a certain elf.

**. . .**

I’m not fit for my title, that’s what people say and I say they’re right about that statement. I don’t deserve to walk through these elegant halls, don’t deserve the luxury of a fine life and most definitely don’t deserve to have a family such as my own. Today marks the fourth time I’ve let my family down and the humiliation was evident on every noble that came towards my direction, snickering behind their hands. Yet, it wasn’t their ridicule that brought me at my edge, it was my father’s disappointed expression. I couldn’t bear to see that look present on his face, so I left the dining hall and headed to my bedroom, where I can remain at peace.

Currently seated near my desk, I wrote down more of my thoughts in my journal until my mind could no longer process any. I left my quill in the ink pot to my right, waited for the ink on the paper to dry off and closed my journal. I expected anyone to enter my room at this point, Father always does. I slid my chair backwards, stood up and approached my balcony at the right side of my room. I was relieved to get some fresh air and relieved that I finally have a moment of peace, sadly, that peace did not last forever. Hearing my door creak a little, I turned my head around, spotting who I least expected to see.

Standing at six foot five inches, my older brother beamed me a toothy smile before closing the door and locking it. His light brown hair swayed with his movements and his blue eyes outmatched the color of the cloudless sky. He wore the traditional outfit for his Ritual of Passage, a silk black shirt with a dark blue overcoat. The crest of the dominion was attached to the robes that hang loose from his shoulder blades. His steel boots had a dark, cool color scheme, with different types of gems pasted all over to make a symmetrical design of an eight-pointed star, part of the dominion’s crest.

As he sauntered over to me, he pushed out an ottoman from inside of my bedroom and plopped down in front of the double doors, legs crossed. I have to wonder how he managed to contain his childlike attitude throughout the past few days before his twenty-fifth birthday. Even one indication of his ‘unsophisticated gestures’ and our Father will rage and perhaps give him an hour-long lecture about how ‘dishonorable’ he was comporting himself. It does not make sense to claim that all of those events occurred in the distant past, for they only transpired six months ago during the Hrive (Cold) Season. Now that today marks the end of his childhood and beginning of his adult life, I have to wonder if his comportment will ever change. Kelyrr sitting on the ottoman mindlessly gave me the answer.

“I thought I could find you in the Hall’s Archives, it took a while.”

I shook my head as I sat down in a chair close to him. “Why did you assume I was at the archive this time?”

Kelyrr gave me a direct response, “That’s usually where you stuff yourself when you’re under pressure, Little _Fral_. Don’t pretend like I don’t know you. I’ve known you since you’ve barely uttered a word to me when we were children. Father considered you to be a mute.”

“Well, Father will consider you to be something _else_ if he finds out you’re not attending your own ritual. This is one of the special rituals of an elf’s life, you should live this one to its fullest.”

My brother flashed me a ‘are-you-serious’ look. “Come on Antagh, I won’t be able to live it up to its fullest if you are not there with me. Besides, it’s boring enough as it is. All I can do is avoid eye-contact with other women who tried to flirt with me and have my poor hand be ‘annihilated’ by other nobles. I swear some of them had ‘hand lifting’ training.”

Ignoring his comment about ‘hand lifting’, I pulled out a wooden chair from under the table and faced my brother as I sat down. The mere thought of going through the corridors that led to the main reason I didn't want to be there in the first place. Every second my brother spends here is pointless and I had a sense that he knew about it too.

And yet, he's still here, still as stubborn as ever and almost all the previous times before, I gave in.

It was plainly obvious from the expression on his face that I'll soon give in and join him at the ceremony. Whether people get intimidated by my mere presence or not.

There was also another part of myself that shouted out that I was being selfish and idiotic and I suppose I am. It shames me that I even made such a fuse over this minor issue that could've been solved minutes ago and not delayed anymore of Kelyrr's time.

"By the Ninth, Antagh, don't make such a big deal about it. As I said before, the ritual wasn't the same without you there. I want you to enjoy this day as much as I will enjoy your Ritual of Passage when that time comes."

I looked at the starlit sky above us, seeing it's calming dots of light sparkle as if they've noticed me. I had a shred of hope that they would answer for me but only I had the privilege to speak.

I few thoughts came into my mind as I found a way to respond, though it was a question, "Even if I am just standing there, would it make a difference?"

A dimpled smile formed on the lower part of his warm ivory face, it alone predicted his answer, "Of course it will, even if you're moping all over the Hall."

I frowned and corrected his statement, "I do not mope."

"Don't even try to deny it. Even people from a mile a way can tell that you are."

My face wrinkled due to his bluntness and the way he said it. It's if that statement was a fact.

Afterwards, He stood up and patted my left shoulder, signaling that I should follow him. "Don't worry Ann, no one is going to ridicule you while I am around. It's my ritual, so what I say goes. I'm sorry if I didn't realized what you've gone through sooner."

I tried not to frown so obviously at the word 'sorry'. Whenever someone apologizes, it makes me feel like I'm forcing them to. I feel even more guilty when someone close to me, such as Kelyrr, apologizes, as if I was in control of the way he pronounces it. 'Sorry' is a word that always manages to make me tense up and hope to never hear it again.

Kelyrr knew that apologizing would upset me but he was genuine about it. He always was.

"It's alright, Let's head back."

Kelyrr wore that same satisfied smile as he swing opened the wooden double doors and stomped like a madman outside of my room. I preceded shortly after and reluctantly peered over the stone railings that lead to the curved staircase. My fingers curled on the railing as I witnessed the nobles and other significant people of the Hall’s Court emerge from the dining hall. Some were laughing and others stopped midway in the Main Hall just to hear the High King's announcement. The High King of the Aleanrae Dominion stood in front of me but at a distance to a point where he was a size of a doll. His uniform consisted of the dominion’s crest and his dark blue robes covered most of his trousers. His gauntlets were as dim as a night sky and his brown leather boots made a stomping noise whenever they made contact with the stone floor.

Beside him was the High Queen. She wore a long silk, dark purple dress with the crest of the kingdom hanging off of her silver belt. She held a reserved smile before gazing up at me. Her feigned smile turned into one of revolt as hatred was clear from her gray eyes. I didn't make an attempt to do anything, for she expected me to react in someway. I know her and her tricks. It was clear from the moment she cradled me against her that she wished I was never born. She only wanted Kelyrr to be her only son and she treated him liked he was her only one. I remembered when I tried to grab her attention, she would slap me and called me a 'mistake' or 'disgusting rat'. Afterwards, Father would always come to my aid and comfort me.

Still to this day, I still don't know what I did to her to make her hate me so. Nowadays, she cowers away or if she's far, makes sure to ridicule me in any way possible. For what, I have no clue. I recalled the time when I asked Father why she hated me and his only response was:

_“She doesn’t hate you, Fisyr, it’s just her way of showing you that she cares deeply for you.”_

As a child, that response didn’t make sense to me. I suppose I realize now that she had always hated my existence for reasons still unknown to me. Not that I even want to know, considering my father’s relentlessness in avoiding that topic throughout my childhood. I perceived my brother’s view on the matter before and his answer to me was just as vague as our father’s:

_“Don’t worry about her. My advice? Avoid her at all cost and don’t let her hypocrisy fool you. She may act like she favors me over you and you may feel like you’re not getting enough attention but trust me when I say that earning her ‘kindness’ is not worth it. She’ll stomp over you to make you feel like you’re nothing. Trust me, I’ve known people like her and her kind of people are who I truly despise the most. That’s why she’s not worth my time.”_

Those words still resonated within me as I heard the ringing of the palace’s bells. My eyes were solely on my brother as the nobles recognized him and made an open line where he can pass. His dark cape fluttered behind him as he approached the elevated area where the High King and Queen stood. The room was quiet and no one dared to make any noise. When Kelyrr bowed down towards the gray and black marbled floor, the King pulled out a hallowed blade from its pedestal and placed it, where I can only assume from my viewpoint, in front of Kelyrr’s face.

He took the sword in his hands as he gazed down at the floor and finally spoke out the words that he’s rehearsed since last month.

“Alro Dammak…Alra Damman, Iv tdaon dso te dsot nvq naq thvqnpr guebhtubhg zl puvyqubbq. Te gur cnfg zbagu, Iv gubhtug nobhg jub Iv’z qrfgvarq gb orpbzr. Jvgu gur oyrffvtf bs gur Avar Qvivavgvrf, Iv fcrnx gb dso ba guvf qnl gb npprcg zr, abg nf n puvyq, ohg nf na nqhyg. Jvgu guvf fjbeq, Iv cebpynvz gung sebz guvf qnl ba, Iv jvyy znxr hfr bs zl fgeratgu gb cebgrpg gubfr va arrq naq gnxr gur cynpr bs n xavtug.”

**“Lord Father…Lady Mother, I thank you for your aid and guidance throughout my childhood. For the past month, I thought about who I’m destined to become. With the blessings of the Nine Divinities, I speak to you on this day to accept me, not as a child, but as an adult. With this sword, I proclaim that from this day on, I will make use of my strength to protect those in need and take the place of a knight.”**

“Fgnaq hc, Cevapr Kelyrr.”

**“Stand up, Prince Kelyrr.”**

He did and waited for the King’s reply.

“Jvgu gur oyrffvtf bs gur Avar Qvivavgvrf, Iv cebpynvz gung sebz guvf qnl ba, dso jvyy hfr dsot fgeratgu gb cebgrpg gur qbzvavba naq gnxr dsot cynpr nf n xavtug. Znl Znvn thneq dso nyjnlf.”

**“With the blessings of the Nine Divinities, I proclaim that from this day on, you will use your strength to protect the dominion and take your place as a Knight. May Maia guard you always.”**

After the King said those words, the room instantly started rounds of applause and cheers, the bells of the Hall rung continuously and the green curtains from the tall glass panes that surrounded the entirety of the Hall were rolled up, revealing the large silver moon at the front with white dots scattered everywhere on the dim sky. Everyone raised their shiny goblets of wine and shouted out toasts to Kelyrr. Eventually, I joined in, clapping my hands together and beaming a smile at Kelyrr, despite the fact that he won’t notice it. My last thought was immediately proven wrong once he stood up, turned around and returned my grin.

Afterwards, we met again at the dining hall where each guest sat at their assigned areas. Luckily, I ended up seated beside Kelyrr to the far left the room, where the green curtains were pulled towards the edges of each stained glass window. It was a sight to see, given the fact that all the city lights were on and from my viewpoint, it's as if the light from fireflies stayed in a random array of yellow dots. The people that were invited, laughed and shouted out more toasts to Kelyrr and soon, everyone converse among each other.

I would've felt comfortable eating my dinner in peace if it weren't for the glares Mother was giving me on the other side of the extended rectangular table. Her looks of displeasure bored into me and I tried my best to eat without shaking.

"Son, is something wrong?" I heard my father asked silently as he finished wiping his mouth with a handkerchief.

"No, everything is fine. We are here to enjoy Kelyrr's Ritual of Passage so there's no need to worry." It would've sounded convincing if it weren't from my inability to lie flawlessly.

Father set his eating utensils on a grey plate and gave me a fixated look, "I wasn’t born yesterday, Fisyr. This ceremony is not fully alive without you rejoicing the fact that your brother has come of age. What has you worry?”

I shook my head, “It’s nothing.” Ignoring the fact that he used my personal name, that only signifies that he’s serious.

Before my father could answer, Mother stood up from her chair and held up a goblet of wine, smiling widely at Kelyrr. The room was silenced.

“Kelyrr, my beloved son. As your mother, I’m proud to witness you grow up into the elf you are today. The world may now view you as an adult, but to me, you’ll always be that little boy who chased after a horse all the way down to the city.”

Soft chuckles and laughs escaped from almost everyone. Kelyrr was the only one who didn’t laugh but instead, rolled his eyes and gave Mother a small smile.

“I can’t believe you still remember that. I was dared to ride a horse all the way to the city and back by one of my friends. I couldn’t back down from the dare so I had to. Oh, the _embarrassment_.”

I agree that was quite something to behold. I was there when he tried to ride a horse without a saddle, fell off a couple of times and ended up getting kicked by said horse.

Kelyrr nudged my shoulder and all eyes went on me.

“If it weren’t for my brother, Antagh, I wouldn’t be alive to tell you all the story.”

I raised my eyebrow, “Alive? That’s a mere exaggeration. I say, ‘bleeding from more parts other than your nose’ is more accurate.”

More people from the table chuckled as one particular member of our family shook his head and smiled at my father. His skin had a gold tone to it and he had one white eye and one yellow eye. People speculated that he was born with different colored eyes but in actuality, he was blinded at a young age and his left eye mysteriously turned white. My uncle, Tuleyus, never explained in full detail of what happened the day he was ‘blinded’. The only answer I can get from him was “my eyes hurt so much that I had to be numbed for three days”. Even Kelyrr can’t get a proper answer from him.

“I swear, the both of you are basically the splitting image of your father and I when we were that age, though, I was more of the adventurous type. Your father can’t even shoot a bow and arrow properly when we were asked to go on our first hunt.” His low-pitched voice was mixed with laughter.

Father sipped what was left of his wine before replying, “That was years ago, little _fral_. If I had a say in the topic at hand, I’d say that I’m much better at archery than I was back then. Besides, what did you expect by a mere six-year-old?”

“Say, Lady Marencia, I know you love your family and all but why is it that you praise Prince Kelyrr more than Prince Antagh?”

The quick change of topic left me with dread, especially if it pertained with my mother and I. I pretended not to hear the conversation but my ears betrayed me.

“Kelyrr is first born. It is to be expected that he gets more attention from me. Antagh, even if he receives attention, it would be a waste of time, given the fact that the title of High King goes to his brother, not him. So, why bother?”

I was impressed by how calmly she spoke all those words, though, it’s obvious she was indirectly spitting venom at me. I peered to my left to see Kelyrr seething and his hands curled up into fists. It’s only a matter of time before he starts raging. Uncle Tuleyus was shocked at Mother’s words and Father let out an exasperated sigh.

Tuleyus turned his whole being around to face my mother, with a perturbed look. “Why bother? He still is your son. Your flesh and blood. Have you learned nothing during your time here in Aleanrae?”

Mother no longer made an attempted to hide her fury. She slapped Tuleyus across his face and even made an effort to try to do the same to me. The audience in the room turned their attention towards my mother with horrified expressions of what they just witnessed. Kelyrr quickly got up from his chair and grasped onto Mother’s arms, holding her in place.

“Mother, what is wrong with you?!” He shouted at her face. “What has Antagh done to you that makes you hate him so?!”

Mother’s gray eyes seemed to flash at him and then, at Father. “I can’t take this anymore! Do you want to know the reason why I hate him? I hate him because he’s the living reminder of what Farilyeus failed to do as a faithful husband. That disgusting rat is no son of mine and nor will I continue to tolerate him!”

After she screamed that out, Father ordered everyone to return home and report back after the ‘situation’ was dealt with. The Midnight Bell rung a few moments later. Mother rushed out of the Hall’s dining area and Father chased after her. Kelyrr snickered behind Mother’s back and muttered ‘thank the Divinities it’s over’ before sitting back down beside me.

His sour expression changed when he asked, “You okay, Ann?”

I remained silent, unsure how to respond.

He looked towards the large window planes and suggested, “Maybe you should go outside to the garden for a while. Clear your head, you know?”

I nodded as I stood up, pushed my chair in and headed to the garden but before I go outside, I needed an answer.

“So, I guess that makes sense.”

Kelyrr furrowed his eyebrows, “What makes sense?”

I gazed straight at him, “That I’m not her son by blood. It makes her attitude towards me reasonable and why I don’t look anything like her appearance wise.”

Kelyrr scoffed at me, as if I was missing something, “Yeah, it took you long enough to realize that. She despises every fiber of your being because you’re born to a different mother. What she calls ‘reasonable’ I call ‘being arrogant and selfish’. I knew it was a matter of time before she exploded and revealed everything to the Noble Court. Now our Father’s title as High King is at stake.”

My eyes widen, “You knew all along that I was born to a different mother and you did not reveal this to me?”

Kelyrr placed his slender hand on my shoulder, “I didn’t want to tell you some nonsense over what I believed could be a possibility. I needed evidence to prove it and with Marencia’s outburst, my suspicions are proven.”

I pushed his hand away from my shoulder, “You could’ve at least given me a hint or something.”

“I know but- “

There’s that other word I hated to hear. I don’t understand why people even bother to explain themselves when the damage was already done.

I left the dining hall after that, taking what Kelyrr suggested into consideration about heading to the garden. He knew I wasn’t in the right state of mind so I guess I have to thank him for that later. The warm air from inside the building left my being, leaving the cool air outside to rush into my lungs, making my throat burn.

From the elevated plateau I was on, I could see all the city’s lights and fireflies that flashed their yellow lights started to appear near the water fountain. The statue of Maia stood proud on the pedestal above the water sprinkling, which was part of the fountain’s design. Memories kept clawing back to the time I fell in the water. I was an observant child, that was what Father said when he found me standing near the statue. He asked what I was doing and instantly, I fell right in. Father caught up to me and asked me again. I was still in the fountain, with my uniform drenched in water, yet I somehow manage to point at the statue and ask him:

_“Who is she?”_

I smiled at that fond memory, as I sat down on the stone and traced my finger along the fountain’s chiseled design. Then, I looked up to see the same statue my past self, seemed too curious of. The Chiefess of all Nine Divinities. She’s also known as Mother Nature in nearby countries and is the main deity we give our thanks to. Father always told Kelyrr and I to give our thanks to her for every fruit and flora she created. Every time we come near the statue, it’s mandatory to pray at it and that’s what I’m going to do.

I closed my eyes and prayed.

What seemed like an eternity was interrupted by heels clashing down the pavement near me. I looked towards the noise and yet again, I saw someone who I least expected to see.

“I see you’re out here by yourself again, tell me, did the Queen throw a fit over something petty or did Kel do something ‘unprincely’ like?”

Kelyrr’s closest friend came out of the shadows and near the candle lit lamppost above her. She had hair as dark as the night sky and eyes the same color as flawless emeralds. To my surprise, she wore a green dress that is fit for a party of some sort and a black mantle to shield her from the cool breeze.

A question came to mind. “You planned to come to Kelyrr’s Ritual?”

She sighed as she sat down beside me and began stargazing, “If only it was as simple as that. Since the day the ‘Queen’ found out about my friendship towards your brother, she immediately thought I was courting him and banished me off of palace grounds. She said that he was going to be betrothed to someone else and that I was a mere distraction to him. I swear, one day that sad excuse for a Queen will be tasting my fists! Um. No offense to you.”

I inclined my head, “I can’t blame you, besides, there is no reason why I should take that as offensive.”

“How come?” She titled her head.

“Just found out a few minutes ago that I’m not her actual son.”

“Pff, I saw that coming a mile off. ‘Bout time she blew the casket.”

I gaped at her response, “So you knew as well.”

“Yeah, Kel and I had our suspicions for a while now. He kept on saying over and over again on how much Marencia keeps on pampering him and gives zero damns about you.”

I lowered my head, “You don’t have to state the obvious, Eyna. Now that I have an old problem solved, I have a new one to answer to.”

“And that is?”

“Figuring out who my actual mother was.”

“Good luck with that, Ann. As far as I know, your dad will not give you an answer directly. Anything he says as of right now will be used against him with the Noble Court judges him. Noble my ass, more like Court of Bribery and Deceit.”

“Each has their own views on things.”

Sounds of crickets filled my ears as the moon started to raise even higher on the nigh sky. The running water of the fountain kept on flowing and more fireflies appeared. I expected any servant to come out to the garden and tell me it was past Midnight but no one came, so I stayed seated near the statue.

“So…what’s on your mind?” Eyna asked pensively as she crossed her left leg over the other.

“Why do you ask?”

She turned her head to face my own, “You have that look on your face again, Antagh. Something’s troubling you. Besides figuring out who your real mother is, what is bothering you?”

“Why do you want to know?”

Eyna snickered, “Answering a question with a question, as always. Fair enough. It’s not like I want to know, it’s just that I heard that getting things off your chest would give you peace in your mind. People converse with each other for this reason, you know that.”

“I know and I’m not the best at it. I’m not as social as Kelyrr is and definitely not a people’s person.”

Eyna kept looking at me, as if she was telling me to go on by that gesture. I have no say in this matter, do I?

I sighed as I gave in, “After what happened at the dining hall, I’ve been thinking on what she said when she revealed the reason why she doesn’t recognize me as a son. One of the points she made clear was that Kelyrr is sooner or later, going to take the title of High King. When that day comes, what would become of me? I know that if the dominion has more than one heir, the eldest will take the place of High King and if something were to go wrong with the High King, the heir next in line would have to represent the country as Regent until he gets better or his son takes up the title. It’s been like that since the founding of the dominion, yet…”

“Go on.”

“…I feel like there’s no use being Second Prince of the Aleanrae Dominion if you have little to no contribution to the country’s welfare. I mean, I could still help but not as much as the High King does. Once Kelyrr becomes the new leader, the Court will give me _Alro_ as my new title and that position is no different than being second prince.”

“That’s not entirely true. You can be like _Alro_ Tuleyus, he does a lot to keep the country’s military in shape.” Eyna mentioned.

“I know. There’s a difference between him and I. He has a warrior’s heart. I don’t.”

Eyna placed her gloved hand on my shoulder, “Don’t throw yourself in the mud like that, Ann. You’re making it seem hopeless.”

I stared straight into her green eyes. “It is.”

I simply said it the way it is. She was going to continue questioning me until I heard Father’s voice from inside the palace. When he did, Eyna vanished from existence, leaving no trace in sight. When Father came dashing through the pathway, he spotted me and sighed out in relief.

“Did something happen?” I asked him as I stood up.

“Another argument aroused between Marencia and Kelyrr.”

I exhaled. “And you want me to stop them?”

“That’s entirely up to you, Fisyr. Right now, I have to part ways with Marencia and choose another woman to be High Queen. The Noble Court declared it so.”

Now, I have two new problems to solve. One, is to figure out who my birth mother is and two, accept the woman Father chooses to be his wife.

Truly, my situation seems hopeless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some Translations for some words:
> 
> Fral = Brother (affectionate)  
> Alro = Lord  
> Alra = Lady  
> Alro Dammak = Lord Father (Formal)  
> Alra Damman = Lady Mother (Formal)
> 
> Pronunciations:
> 
> Antagh - Ar-tah-ris  
> Kelyrr - Cul-leer  
> Fisyr - Fee-sew  
> Tuleyus - Tel-lee-us  
> Marencia - Mare-ren-sia  
> Farilyeus - Fair-re-ley-us  
> Eyna - Ay-na  
> Aleanrae - Al-len-ray


	5. Chapter 4 - More to Books than Pages -

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Point of View: Antagh Ilivaere
> 
> When someone is going through their lowest part of their life, they don't have the luxury to speak it out, they don't want others to worry. Yet, when that particular someone is a goddess who hasn't made physical contact on their world for a very long time, who are they to deny such honor? At the back of Antagh's mind, there was something that told him it wasn't the end, that his purpose was far more greater than he expected, but even so, would he, a brokenhearted and motherless young elf, dare to believe it?

**. . .**

After the events that transpired yesterday, I wasn’t able to sleep for long. I woke up every now and then to notice myself sweating, my breathing intense. This time, I knew it was useless to go back to sleep, so I've decided to head to the Temple of Maia for fresh air. As I managed to get my bedsheets off, I immediately felt the cool air engulf my body and I already missing the warmth and comfort of my bed. I placed my shoes on my feet and walked over the balcony doors, where I intend to make my way to the temple.

Once opened, a gust of cold air brushed my face and it took a few moments to adjust to the temperature. The moon was still out, as well as the stars and all the city lights from before were extinguished. I climbed over the railing of the balcony and carefully made my way down the little dents on the stone wall. When I made it on the ground, I quietly jogged through the forest that surrounded the palace.

As I neared the temple, I made sure to look left and right for anyone coming my direction. Once I decided that there was no one in sight, I swiftly sprinted across the gray marbled path that lead to the temple’s entrance. I sighed in relief once I made it. Looking around the temple, there weren’t many lights available and the inner part of the temple stayed dim.

Echoes of my footsteps was all I can hear from the desolated place. The only light I could see was the candle in front of the golden statue of Maia. Within proximity of the shine, I genuflected and started my round of prayers. Foremost, was the hope that I would one day find out who my real mother is. I prayed that Father has the courage to tell me. Secondly, for Kelyrr to become a good ruler of Aleanrae and maintain his selflessness and nobility for the rest of his life. I prayed that one day, that would become reality. Lastly, I prayed for my path in life to become clearer. That something or someone out there will lead the way to the answer and missing piece of me I have yet to uncover.

When I finished praying, I stood to my full height. Intending to leave the temple, I felt a drastic change in the temperature that surrounded me and then, something unexpected happened.

In that moment, I wasn’t sure if I was hallucinating or if I should wake up from another dream, I was most likely in. A woman wearing a long sleeved, dark green dress decorated by different types of flowers, stepped forward towards me. She wore a crown made out of golden colored roses and teal hair that faded into white around the tips. She had yellow eyes and her skin had a fair tone to it. The woman eyed me closely as she sat down near the statue of Maia. I remained still while she averted her eyes from me to look up at the statue.

Then, she spoke, “ ** _I’m pleased by how your people maintain this temple and the shrine. You have my praise_**.” She said gently.

I stepped back, unsure what to say.

She laughed as she turned to face me, “ ** _It’s been a while since I stepped foot into my realm physically. I’ve been too busy to consider doing so, my apologizes. You are Fisyr, right? You should be honored to the first person to see me in flesh._** ”

I arched my eyebrow in confusion. “Who are you?”

The woman chuckled at me as she patted the shrine, “ ** _Do you not recognize me, little one? I am Maia. The one you’ve been praying to this whole time. You seek to have your path cleared, right?_** ”

I stared at her dubiously, “Maia? If it is you then prove it.”

She stood up. “ ** _If that’s what it takes for you to believe me_**. _**What would you have me do?**_ "

Nothing came to mind when she asked and certainly not when a woman, who claims to be a the Chiefess Maia, appears out of nowhere. Appearing out of nowhere should've been evidence that she is, but even so, it's hard to trust in such claims, mainly due to the fact that Maia has returned to her domain millennia ago. Now that I think about it, there were stories pertaining to her childhood that may or may not be completely accurate. We all know how history goes, history is always written by the person who lives on to tell it. The information in the Hall’s Archives may not be completely correct and if this woman is indeed Maia, she can tell her story directly and from an unbiased perspective. I have to get some ink and paper to write all of this down. Scholars of the dominion may be waiting to hear this.

" ** _Um, son. You still there? You look, excited?_** "

Unable to contain my smile and excitement, I scanned the temple for anything I could write on and with.

" ** _Whatever you are searching for, I can conjure._** " She stated as she clapped her hands and all the lights within the temple lit up. 

I had to squint my eye due to the sudden brightness. 

I gazed back at her, "I'm looking for an ink well, a quill and some parchment."

" ** _So, you desire to be a scholar then. There's no shame in being one, which is something I don't understand. Why do you pray to have your path cleared when it's evident that you enjoy learning about your dominion’s history and preserving it? Being a historian is not a bad path to take either._** "

My eyes landed on the gray marbled floor as I brainstormed my answer. Of course, it would be easy to accept such path but even if I did, why do I still feel like some part of me is missing, like I'm missing out on something important?

I felt the woman’s hand on my shoulder. She conjured up a desk and chair and gestured at me to sit down. When I did, she conjured an other chair and sat beside me.

" ** _You are not the first one to pray to have their path cleared for them. Sometimes, I feel horrible for those who are lost within themselves and not knowing what to do next. Those who are so lost in life, they never seem to find their path again. As the Goddess of all mothers in my realm, it's my job to hear their prayers and give indirect advice to children or anyone for that matter, that need it._** " The woman explained that so soothingly that it made me feel comfortable in her presence.

Confused, I said, "My mother doesn't pray, especially not for me."

The woman gave me a small smile, " ** _Ah, yes. The High Queen is interesting. She's still believes in the traditions of old and refuses to accept the modern ones. She's not a bad person in that regard, she just wants to uphold her family's traditions and who can blame her for doing so._** "

"What do you mean?" I raised my brow, not knowing what she is referring to.

" ** _Sometimes, people tend to forget that there's more than just one perspective in a story. They judge by what is available to them and don't acknowledge the other side. In the case of Marencia, this happens to be so._** " Maia swirled her hands and a spherical crystal formed in the space between them.

As she placed it down on the desk, an image of a younger version of Mother was seen crying in her room.

" ** _Marencia is a stubborn one and doesn't like others doing tasks for her. Her stubbornness correlates with everything she's done and this is especially true when she had to marry your father. She wanted your father to remain faithful to her and to uphold the righteousness of a married couple. After she had Kelyrr, she planned on having another child until a woman came by, claiming that she's expecting the King's child._** "

"I suppose that woman was my birth mother but if Marencia wanted to have another child, why did she claim that a second child is not worth paying attention to. I've known her all of my life to think she believes that. What made her change her mind?"

" _ **She didn't. When she found out about you, she wanted to believe that everything was a misunderstanding and her husband takes responsibility for his actions. It was because of her beliefs that prevented her from accepting you. To some extent, I understand her, even if it's flawed. It's hard for a few people such as herself to accept children not birthed by them. Especially when she was raised to believe that accepting children from other mothers is wrong.**_ "

That begs to question, "Is it wrong?"

" ** _That depends on the person and their influences. Are you doing good for something that's viewed wrong by others or are you doing wrong for something that's viewed as good? In the case of you and Marencia, is it wrong to accept a child, birthed by a different mother and your husband, as yours?"_**

I clasped my hands together in contemplation. If it weren’t obvious by my reaction, I find it difficult to process the question, let alone answer it.

Maia gave me a reassuring smile, “ ** _There are questions that no amount of honest words could answer. Perhaps it’s up to the person in question to decide the answer, through their actions. Marencia is still with the idea that accepting children that is not your own is wrong. If you and Kelyrr play your cards right, perhaps you can convince her that it is not, at least for this circumstance._** ”

“Why are you telling me this?” In fact, why are you giving me advice?

“ ** _Every creature, every plant, every living thing that came to be in this realm is in need for advice at some point in their lives. It’s my job to aid my children, always has._** ”

The woman clapped her hands one more time and in front of me, appeared a stack of parchment paper, two ink wells and a green colored quill. I was stunned, not because those items appeared out of thin air but stunned at the fact that she had the ability to conjure objects of any size or shape. I lifted up a paper from the thick pile, to make sure that it is real, then used my left hand to grab the green quill and dip it’s tip in the ink well.

Maia leaned her face a little towards the blank paper and said, “ ** _You’re curious to know a lot of things, I commend you for that, but take note that there is knowledge that isn’t meant to be obtained or understood. I can only tell you so much in so little time._** ”

My endless stream of questions refused to end and waited for responses but I have to respect a Goddess’ warning, especially if She’s the Chiefess of all Gods. I nodded my head in agreeance.

“ ** _Well then, I’m guessing that anyone here would question why I chose to appear in physical form and to them especially. My response to you is because I’ve chose you to be apart of something beyond this realm. This is why I replied immediately after your prayer. All of your life you’ve been wondering if you’re even suited to be part of a royal family. You must understand that We chose the rightful rulers of Aleanrae to lead the country forward. Have you ever heard of a time in which a tyrant sat on the throne of this dominion?_** ”

“No.” Was my response as I recalled all the High Kings and Queens that ruled before. Every single one had their own accomplishments in improving that welfare of the country and every single ruler was honored greatly.

“ ** _Correct. The Hallow Blade decides who’s worthy. Heria created that blade._** ”

Heria, the Goddess of Final Truth, Justice, Order and Balance. I began to write the new information that was debated for centuries now. Eagerly, the first parchment was filled out in seconds and I grinned widely, proud of the answers that took ages to figure out by master scholars.

“Scholars always were at odds with each other about that Blade. Some say it was created as a central relic to keep the dominion and its foundation from crumping off to the sea. Others claim that Heria forged the Blade with her own tears after she was betrayed by her closest subordinates."

The goddess crossed her arms as she nodded her head once more, " _ **Half of what you said is true. I know Heria personally. She is not known to express her emotions very well and who can blame her? Her job is to bring justice and to remain neutral when she's giving out her judgment. The scholars who claimed that the Blade was created as a powerful artifact is true in some ways. It's not necessarily needed to keep the dominion stabilize, rather, when the dominion is going through hardship, it's placed in its pedestal to rebuild what was destroyed.**_ "

Over time, almost all the parchment paper on the dark wooden desk was used and the two ink wells eventually ran out of ink. I smiled proudly at the new information I wrote down and stood up as I clutched the papers together in excitement.

" _ **So, do you now believe that I am Maia?**_ " She stood up and fixed her hair.

I turned to look back at her, "If you claim to be Her, then I don’t understand why you've chose to talk to me. I know you've said that I'm apart of something beyond this realm but you didn't elaborate on what that something is."

She shook her head and opened her yellow eyes, " _ **Remembered what I said about certain knowledge that's not meant to be said or understood? I'm not at liberty to tell you what you're apart of. All I can do is aid you until the time comes.**_ "

Maia gave me a worried look before she stepped closer to the stained windows on her right. My eyes was almost blinded by the sun when it started to peek over the mountains. She ambled towards the sun's light and sat on a bench in front of the window that reached from the ceiling to the floor of the temple. Her trail of flower petals on the floor led up to her and her hair reached to the bottom of her dress also decorated with flowers. I walked up to window and seated myself beside her.

Then, she spoke, " _ **It's only a matter of time before everything you see here would disintegrate into dust. I only wished that the mortals here would understand the truth of us gods. That we were deemed to be the very image of perfection in their eyes.**_ "

She lowered her voice and her head as she spoke the few words that would forever change my perspective about the gods.

" _ **. . .How wrong could they be?**_ "

My eyes widen at something that was hard for my mind to render and comprehend.

"What are you trying to say?" I asked, almost shuddering my words.

" ** _It was because of our arrogance that led us to what we've become. We've betrayed the Source in more ways than one and created a being so foul, that he will destroy everything this existence has to offer. I know it's so much to take in Antagh but you are our only hope, as of right now, to save us all._** "

I back away, still not understanding what she was stating, "I don't understand."

Maia lifted her head up and I noticed that tears were streaming down her cheeks, " _ **I don't need you to understand anything right now, but note that you can call upon me anytime, anywhere if you need guidance. You are not alone in this.**_ "

She tried to smile despite her distress. She lifted her hand towards me as she gently grasped my own and a golden aura surrounded my hand. When the aura faded, she removed her hand from mine to reveal a necklace with the dominion’s crest as its central piece. The necklace was made out of the purest gold and had Maia's symbol that surrounded the crest. The necklace disappeared only to reappear again on my chest.

I touched the center and looked up at the creator of the necklace.

I frowned, "You have tears on your face, Maia."

" _ **I do, don't I? I'm sorry. A goddess isn't supposed to shed any tears but with the situation we are currently in, what else could I don't but know the inevitable end of my children. The truth sometimes breaks me.**_ "

I pulled out a handkerchief from my robes and gave it to Maia.

"Here. I hate to see anyone like this."

" ** _You are a kind soul, just like your mother. I'm certain that this will work out. I cannot fail. The universe wasn't meant to end this way. Not by a Malachai, at least._** "

A Malachai?

After she was done clearing the tears from her face, she looked back at the window, " ** _Your father is searching for you. I suggest you should head back._** "

I nodded as I stood up and walked over to the papers I've written on, "And what about you?"

The goddess stood up, her back facing me, " ** _I have a job to do. For now, I want you to spend as much time with your family as you can._** "

"Why?" I asked, even though I dreaded the answer.

" ** _You might not see them again after what's going to happen and that event is dreadfully soon._** "


	6. Chapter 5 - Mr. Graves and the Voice -

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Point of View: Nick Gautier
> 
> His powers are getting stronger by the minute and in one instance, Nick realized that. He was in trouble, he knew it and he had other matters to deal with as well. One of them being, Noir. The god who wants to enslave him and the creature that was released from it's captivity. As if he had nothing else to worry about, now this?

. . .

“Boo, is something on your mind? You are not eating your breakfast.”

My mom’s worried voice snapped me back to reality. I blinked a few times before I answered.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I was just…thinking about stuff.”

I practically heard my mom roll her eyes as she placed a cup of orange juice beside my eggs with bacon and broccoli.

“Boy, do you know how many times I told you not to play with your food? Look at the bacon. It’s all in pieces now.”

I peered down at my food and realized that I’ve been stabbing it for the past God knows how long. I smiled cheekily at my mom, who continued scrubbing the plates we used for dinner yesterday.

“Sorry about that Ma’am, I’ll try not to involuntarily stab at my food when I’m in ‘La La land mode’ next time.”

I heard her sigh after she dried the last dish. She barely managed to open the cabinet door above her and tried to put the plate away. I got up from the stool, walked over to her and took the dish from her hand. Mom gave me that glare and I pretended not to notice it when I placed the dish back and closed the cabinet door.

When I was done, I mustered as much courage I could to face the mother bear.

“Sorry Mom, I had to. Doesn’t feel right for you to go through all the trouble.”

Instead of getting a scolding, she ruffled my hair and smiled, “Oh, Nicky, don’t say sorry more than you need to, you’re making me feel horrible.”

“Are you purposely trying to get me a tardy by messing up my hair?”

She rolled her blue eyes again before she fixed the collar of my other Hawaiian t-shirt monstrosity, she kept insisting I should wear to almost every occasion, “You don’t even spend much type fixing your hair anyway. Here’s your lunch. Make sure you focus on all of your classes and don’t let anyone distract you. Your education comes first above all else and please, don’t fight. I rather not see you go to the hospital again…or worse.”

Yeah, I take full blame for making my mom go through unnecessary crap because of me but what else am I supposed to do? Let that foul smelling wet dog insult her for something she had no choice to do to survive?

My mom handed me my bookbag and frowned at me, “I know that look. Nicholas Ambrosius…”

…Oh no. Not a good sign when she uses my full name.

Having no clue how to respond to her, I heard a few knocks on the front door and then the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it.” I said to her, grateful to whatever power in the world that saved me from the full wrath of Cherise Nicole Gautier.

I opened the door and almost jumped back in surprise to see the less likely person to come here on my doorstep. Caleb stood there with another one of his designer hoodies and had on black jeans that I'm sure cost him a fortune. Unlike yesterday, half of his hair was pulled back while the other half fell down in bangs that covered his forehead. He was as stylish as always, unlike me. If only my mom would understand my struggles.

Caleb's brown eyes peered over me, noticing the presence of my mother.

"Good morning, Ms. Gautier."

Mom almost shoved me out of the doorway as she basically skipped towards Caleb and hugged him to death. The daeva almost stumbled back as if he was hit by a jackhammer. He became stiff and when my mom finally let him go, he breathed in as much air through his nose as possible.

"Good morning, Mr. Malphas. What brings you here, cher?"

Caleb cleared his throat, "I came to pick up your son ma'am. An important announcement was made in school this morning and I thought of giving him a early ride there."

Mom bit her lip and immediately, I telepathically warned Caleb.

_'Brace yourself, Cay._ _Ms. 'I-ask-a-thousand-questions' is here.'_

"Do you have a driver's license?" Mom began her endless round of questions.

Caleb nodded without hesitancy, "Yes ma'am, I passed the driver’s exam with no problem."

"How long have you been driving?"

Caleb had to think about that question for a moment before answering, "About a year or so."

"Do you feel confident driving another teen?"

The demon furrowed his brow this time and I almost laughed.

Mom beat me to it. "Ah, I'm just pulling on your leg. I trust you wholeheartedly with my son’s safety after everything you've done for him. It's nice to know that my Boo has friends he can rely on. When you're not busy with school, feel free to visit us. You're always welcome here."

She hugged him one last time before making way for me to go through the doorway. I tossed my bookbag over my shoulder, grabbed my lunch and headed out until she tugged my arm.

"Are you not forgetting something?"

I checked my pockets and replied, "No ma'am, I have everything."

Unbeknownst to me, Mom seized this opportunity to kiss my cheek.

Gah, I hope Caleb didn't-

_'I saw it, Gautier.'_

"Be a good boy, Nicky. I’ll see you soon." My mom said before closing the door in front of me.

I gave one glare at Caleb, who lifted his hands up in front of himself.

"I will not utter a word." Was all he said before tucking his hands in the pockets of his hoodie and walking down the stairs of the condominium.

When we arrived at the parking lot, I remembered something he said back there. Something about an 'important announcement'. For my mom, it was something pertaining to the school but for me and Caleb, something paranormal was going on and this was one of the ways we let each other know about the subject without making it seem 'off' to others.

Especially to my mom, who doesn’t know the existence of the supernatural. Anytime I hinted even just a little about it, she would cut me off and tell me that it’s just nonsense or it’s too graphic and gory.

That’s one of the prime reasons why I fear for my mom’s sanity and above all, her safety. It wouldn’t even come as a surprise for me if some daimon, shapeshifter, demon or whatever creature out there decided to use my mother as bait to lure me in. I even wait in paranoia for that day to come.

“You there, Gautier? Hurry up and get in the car.” Called Caleb, who gestured at a black Porsche in front of us.

“Anything for you, _beau_. Anything for you.” I winked at him before making my way towards the other side of the vehicle.

I sat in the passenger’s seat and threw my bookbag in the backseat. To my left, Caleb opened the door, took a seat behind the wheel and fasten himself. He took out the car keys to the Porsche and started the car.

I commented, “What’s the rush, Malphas? We still got a few good thirty minutes and St. Richards isn’t even that far.”

The car started moving and we’re on the road.

“A new substitute teacher was chosen for our chemistry class.”

“It’s that all? Well, lucky for the former sub, he won’t have to suffer the school’s indignities anymore. What’s the new sub’s name?”

Caleb’s eyes remained focus on the road ahead of him. “Mr. Graves.”

I almost choked, “Really? At least it’s better than the last name of our principal.”

I hid the fact that the name felt strangely connected to a particular ‘tutor’ that taught me how to use my grimoire. Certainly, Death himself won’t bother with spending his precious time with my classmates. Maybe it was just a coincidence that someone was named that way.

Despite the possibilities, I agree with Caleb that it was necessary to call it ‘an important announcement’ because my spider senses are tinkling as we neared the school.

The ride to school was quiet, only hearing the zooming of other cars that went by us and the running of the air conditioner. I leaned back on the dim seat. Then, almost instantly, my upper body fell down as the seat I was sitting on ‘adjusted’ itself to my weight.

Subsequently, Caleb started laughing and when the traffic light turned from yellow to red, he stomped on the brakes and I literally slid off the passenger’s seat. That only added more to the clown’s guffawing and I had to unfasten myself from the seat to sit upright.

I glared at him, “You planned this, didn’t you?”

Caleb turned his face towards me and grinned like a mannequin, “Oh, why the hostility, punkin’? I forgot to fix that seat one day. Didn’t know you would used it as a recliner.”

I continued to glare daggers at him before the traffic light flashed green and Caleb quickly twisted the steering wheel.

I gasped as I flew into the backseat where my backpack and Caleb’s designer one was. Ribbing my poor behind, I made sure to glare at the demon through the mirror on the windshield where his eyes were reflected. Either he chose to ignore it or simply didn’t notice it at all.

“Should’ve decided to ride in a streetcar, then all of this could’ve been avoided and I wouldn’t be flying around like a ragdoll.” I mumbled to myself before sitting upright again on the backseat.

I heard Caleb chuckle and then the rest of the car ride was silent.

As Caleb parked in front of the brick building, I looked outside the window to see if anything was out of the ordinary. I saw Stone and his group of werewolf lackeys, Brynna talking with LaShonda on the other side of the school, Madaug holding some sort of gaming device (hopefully it’s not another Zombie Hunter game) and Kody, beautiful in all her glory, sat on a bench near the school’s entrance with a book in her hands.

After Caleb shut off the engine, I took my bookbag, opened the backseat door and closed it when I got a breath of fresh air. Hearing a beep from the Porsche, Caleb appeared from the other side with his designer’s bag and sauntered across the road towards the building. I joined him and smiled widely when Kody peered up to notice us. Her green eyes always seemed to burn brighter with each passing day and as always, her classic sweater always seemed to make me turn into mush on the inside. She got up, walked across the school’s cemented ground and kissed me lightly on the cheek. I returned the favor, obviously, what type of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t?

She gave that warmhearted smile before looking down at my shirt and commenting, “A new shirt, eh?”

I growled.

Kody laughed but that laugh ceased when she said, “There’s a strange wave in the air today. Can you feel it?”

“You mean to tell me that my spider senses didn’t go erratic for a reason?”

“Seems like you’ve already detected the strangeness.” Kody sighed as she turned to face Caleb, who was glaring at Stone and Mason from across the school’s entrance.

“There’s no say that Stone would bother you, just keep your temper to a minimum. He’s not worth the trouble to get you suspended.”

I nodded my head to her before the first bell rang, declaring the beginning of class.

The rest of the day went by as usual, I had to complete all the assignments that the teachers threw at me while keeping my guard up for any harvesters, shapeshifters or any of the sort that was after my head. When the time came to face the new substitute teacher, I sat in the middle of the classroom, not too far in the back and not too up front. Kody chose to sit to my left and Caleb to my right and as the new teacher stepped in the classroom with a distasteful look on his face, I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from reacting abnormally.

Please tell me this is just a coincidence or my eyes are playing tricks on me.

Unnoticed by Caleb, Kody and the rest of the classmates, disguised as a chubby, old man in a brown suit, Grim Reaper dangerously sauntered in the room, picked a dry erase marker and coarsely wrote down “Mr. Graves” on the whiteboard. In my eyes, he carried that large scythe that he could lash out at any moment and start his killing spree. What else was he here for?

“I hope you don’t plan to openly gawk at me now while I start class, Mr. Gautier.”

Most of the students laughed and I felt my ears hum red in anger and embarrassment.

Of course, why am I not surprised?

Some say it’s unwise to riposte Death, and some, like myself, was far from listening to one’s gut and risking what little ego they have. I flashed Grim a one-sided smirk, which is not the smartest move on my part, “Not at all ‘Mr. Graves’, continue. The odds are in my favor if I let you carry on with your business”

Death gave me an uneven grin that could have chilled every bone in my being, “So let the odds be in your favor if you do so. Someone must have taught you well to recognize that.”

Yeah, and that someone is _definitely_ not the Grim Reaper himself.

He started off class like any other teacher would, except the frequent references related to death. I tried not to look too invested in how Grim teaches the class but I couldn’t help revealing a smile or two whenever Stone tested Death’s patience when he gave specified orders to an assignment. If I were that crotch smelling freak, I would keep my mouth shut and hopefully pray that Death would spare me. If only Stone had the heart and brains to do that and if only, he knew what he was facing. Most likely, he’ll remain the brainless moron he is and be the first one to die here out of all of us. Despite the shit I had to go through with that bastard, it doesn’t amount to the point in which death was excusable. He may have insulted my mother many times, get me in trouble for things I didn’t do and is a pain in the ass, but I still hold up to the belief that every creature, human and nonhuman alike, could be capable of redemption. No matter how stupid or hopeless the individual may seem. Even if that individual had been the one life chosen to bully me for my misfortunes.

With this idea in mind, I hope this could somehow help me into overcoming the evil I was destined to be. I don’t want to be anything like my father nor take the place of the most powerful demon in existence. I just want a normal life with normal problems and normal people or at least as normal as people can get.

Right now, the one step closer to that reality is figuring out why Death is in the classroom, describing every element in the periodic table.

As a worksheet was handed out, Grim stood up and practically gave everyone a ‘death glare’ before announcing my last name.

“Mr. Gautier, I would like to see you outside of class and hurry up. I have little patience for things such as this.”

Rolling my eyes (hopefully Grim didn’t see that), I got up and headed for the door only to have Caleb look at me weirdly for a moment. For once, I’m glad that everyone wasn’t paying attention to me because the very thing that Caleb was going to ask caught me off guard completely.

_'You seem to be familiar with this substitute teacher. Is there anything I should know about him?'_

Knowing that he's reading my thoughts, I responded, _'Nothing that concerns your pending health as far as I know. I'll be back.'_

Caleb nodded before sharpening a pencil and starting his assignment.

Once I walked out of the classroom, I silently shut the door and eyed Grim suspiciously.

I started the conversation with a question that I needed to know the answer to. "Why are you here?"

Either Death looked ticked off because that's how he always appeared or that question actually pissed him off.

"Boy, you know better than to question my presence here and since I'm this close to losing my mind in this sad excuse for a learning facility, I need you to hear the news I've gathered recently."

"By who? What is this news about?" I'm even surprised as well by how he managed to survive a full day with a bunch of adolescents.

“The Balance has been altered. Some being freed a creature of dire importance recently. You felt this, did you?”

The way the reaper said it was terrifying given the fact that he was actually trembling. In that moment, everything he was doing didn’t make the least bit of sense to me and it was unlike Death to tremble or feel any fear at all.

“When did the change happen?” Probably a good idea to get some information on what altered the Balance, in case that being that was released came after me.

Grim rubbed his forehead, either with agony or dread, I can’t tell, “Only as of yesterday. I was occupied with my business when the whole cosmos shifted to one side. And just my day can’t get anymore irksome, I heard news that an entity more powerful than any creature that ever existence was released from it’s cage by some fool.”

“Are you politely trying to say that _I’m_ the creature that you’re referring to. Cause’ honestly you could’ve done better at phrasing your words.”

Fire literally burned from his eyes, “No, short stack, for once in your brain, try to render the warning I’m going to give you because I’m not going to save you from your doom.”

I squinted my eyes at him in confusion. “Um, why would you? Anyway, what’s the yellow flag?”

“That primary god, Noir.”

My blood ran cold towards absolute zero.

“Unfortunately, since it’s part of my job to keep you alive…for now, beware of the minions that he will send. The creature that was released yesterday has the power to stop him and any being that gets in its way. To put it simply, he needs you home and he’ll do whatever it takes to cage you and your father.”

I took a step back, my eyes widen, “So what you’re telling me is that _he_ was holding back and now he’s going on ‘full force mode’ just to get me and my dad at his disposal.”

Death’s wicked chortle returned to traumatize me, “Yes, now how fun would that be?”

I gulped inaudibly as I opened the classroom door, returned to my seat and tried my best to act as if nothing happened. I attempted to start with the worksheet that had been handed out yet I can’t seem to jot down a single word without breaking the sharp end of the pencil I’m using. I almost growled in frustration as I searched for another writing utensil in my pockets. Before I could react, Caleb pulled out one from his pencil case and smacked it down in front of me, grabbing my attention. I glared intensely at him the next second.

“What was that for?!” My voice almost cracked when I yelled.

Everyone in the room turned their attention towards me and Death smirked at me in amusement.

“Channeling spirits again, Gautier?” Stone remarked from the back of the class.

“Nah, it’s probably a mental disorder he has, like Backwoods Tourette’s.” Mason added.

Everyone began laughing and I gave those assholes the deadliest glare they can possibly receive from me. Kody grasped my arm and tugged hard enough to get my attention.

“Nick, remember, they are not worth it. Don’t give in.” Kody kept on flashing me those green eyes but in the present moment, it wasn’t her words that kept me fully composed.

Caleb pressed his hand on my own. The warmness from him left me in a clouded haze for a second until all of my fury vanished like the evaporating of a water droplet. I breathed in some air before sitting back down.

I really need a timeout, or a place where I can quietly collect my thoughts. The last thing I need is to burst in front of the class, be suspended again and have to face my mom for it. Which, for her sake, I will not do again.

By some miracle and maybe with the help of Kody and Caleb, I managed to survive the rest of the school day. I didn’t think much of what Grim said and instead, focused on upcoming assignments given to me by the rest of the teachers. I preferred not to talk much when lunch started and even Caleb attempted to brighten my mood by returning the favor. In this case, inviting me to Café Du Monde. It was nice of him to invite me but I had another issue to solve and his health depended on it.

Finally, when school ended, Kody kissed me on the cheek, waved goodbye and we headed our separate ways. On instinct, I waited for another streetcar to pass by yet I saw Caleb’s Porsche drive up towards me. I can barely see Caleb’s face through the dark colored, side window. The window slid down to reveal the daeva’s face as he asked me.

“Do you want a ride to Kyrian’s? I can save you the trouble from finding a streetcar.”

“As long as your car don’t play Popcorn Machine like last time.”

“Don’t worry your Cajun butt over it. I rather not give you more of a headache than you already have.”

I cringed at what I did, “Sorry about earlier. I don’t know what really happened to me there. I don’t want to think about the possibilities but…is my powers growing stronger, triggering my temper to go into overdrive?”

Caleb frowned, “Could be. I was trying to help and then, you just snapped. While I do admire, your ability to get into trouble without me to babysit you, even for one second, it’s not like you to get a temper over the littlest of things, at least I hope you’re not that type of person.”

I smiled, “If that’s your way of complimenting me, thanks, though, I really don’t like compliments.”

He scoffed, “Don’t let it get into your three brain cells, punkin’. I’m just trying my best to prevent you from going into a killing frenzy. Now, hop in."

I opened the door of the backseat, closed it and crawled my way to the front of the car. This decision made Caleb scowl and I chuckled at his reaction.

“What? Never seen anyone use the back door to get to the front seat before?”

“No one until you did. Jeez, Gautier. You could’ve just walked around the car and get to the other side.”

I sat down, “What’s done is done.” I looked behind myself and made sure the seat won’t betray my back this time.

“Oh, and FYI, you better have fixed the passenger’s seat this time, Malphas.”

Caleb started the car and smirked teasingly me at me, “And if I didn’t?”

I growled through my grin, “I’m coming for your ass, demon!”

He quickly withdrew his smirk and turned the steering wheel; his eyes were now on the road. In that instance, I wasn’t sure if he took it as an actual threat or was going along with it. Unsure if he did take it as a threat, I kept my mouth shut throughout the rest of the ride to my boss’s mansion.

When he parked in the driveway of Kyrian’s house, I took my bag from the backseat and before I stepped out of the car, I asked Caleb.

“Since I know you’ll be driving me back home, I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind if I convince my mom to let me stay at your place for a bit?”

Caleb narrowed his brown eyes at me, “Why do you want to stay at my place, exactly?”

I sighed, there’s no point in hiding this from him, considering that he is my bodyguard.

“It’s concerns my wellbeing and also, we have to figure out when this god, who I should not name, is going to make me into hash browns.”

“Who is this god you speak of?” Caleb asked in desperation.

“ _He_ who I cannot say his name because if I did, he’ll find me and feed from my powers. You know, the one who sent his bloodhounds to find me when we were in-“

Caleb shushed me by lifting his hand and in a dire voice, he said, “No more questions asked. Find a way to convince your mom to let you stay at my place and we’ll figure out a plan. And for your mother’s sanity, don’t do anything stupid.”

“I won’t.”

I jumped out of the car before closing the door and making my way towards the front stairs of my boss’s home. As I made my way up, a sharp pain pierced my skull. It was so agonizing that I had to crouched down to endure it. I screamed at the sudden pain, it was as if I’ve been bashed in the head ten times and over by Mr. Quattlebaum’s bat.

From my blurred vision, I saw Caleb martialize in front of me and at superspeed, kept me from falling down the stairs. A second later, the door to Kyrian’s house flew open and Rosa, the innkeeper and best cook of the place, gasped when she saw me.

“Oh, Dios mío! Mijo, ¿estás bien?!”

“Rosa!” Shouted Caleb as he tossed my arm over his shoulder. “Get Kyrian!”

Caleb frantically shook me, “I swear to the Source, Gautier! If I have to be the one to tell your mom that you’re lying dead on Kyrian’s doorstep, she’s going for my hide!”

That was the last thing I heard from Caleb before everything darken and the last thing I saw was the distress and worry in Caleb’s eyes.

… “ ** _You have so many enemies after you, Ambrosius. Come to me. I swear to you upon my soul, that I will do whatever it takes to save you and everyone you hold dear._** ”

The woman’s voice from before. What is she…?


	7. Chapter 6 - Video Games vs. Reality -

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Point of View: Nick Gautier
> 
> There are many who wished that reality was just a never ending dream. If that's the case then, what would reality truly be? A dream outside a dream? For the Malachai in progress, he wished the same. One thing led to another and he ending up in another dimension where a goddess is offering to help him from becoming the Ambrosius Malachai. What does he have to do and at what price?

**_. . ._ **

“Are you sure this is wise, Maia? Bringing this…foul creature in your domain.” Someone spoke in a different language, one that shouldn’t be understood to anyone, yet I knew every word.

I heard the sound of footsteps that echoed throughout the room I was in, at least I hope I was in one and not dumped in the middle of the street. The smell of roses and forest filled my nostrils as I tried to move. Another sharp pain erupted in my head. My eyes were watery when I tried to open them. Everything was a blur and my brain was still tender.

A hand reached out to touch my cheek and when it did, the tenderness went away and my vision cleared.

Wow, who is this beautiful woman? Hoping that I won’t get in trouble for complimenting another girl that’s not my girlfriend, she had long, wavy teal hair that’s braided on one side and loose on the other. Her yellow eyes seemed cloudy, hinting that she’s been crying recently. The one thing that stood out to me more was the gold roses that circled her head, roses that looked too real to be fake. I looked around and spotted another woman, dressed in armor that glowed red in some spots. She noticed that I was staring and sneered at me in disgust.

“The thing is alive, Maia! Stand back!” One second, she was just standing there and the next she had a sword up against my throat.

The one with teal hair gasped as she staggered back.

_**“Heria! Sister of mine, don’t harm him! Do you have any idea of what happens if you kill him?! How do you think I would live with myself if you’re...?!”**_

Maia’s sister peered over her shoulder plate and saw how frantic she was. Heria let out a displeased sigh as the sword she had near my throat vanished in thin air.

“You harm my sister, Malachai and I won’t hesitant to gut you. Do you understand?” She sounded so demanding.

My mouth opened but no words came out. Maia edged closer to Heria, who took a step back.

Maia’s hand rose up to pat Heria's arm. _**"Leave him to me. No need to worry yourself. I know what I'm doing."**_

Heria's threatening stance disappeared, replaced by concern. "Whatever happens, I'll be near. Good luck."

As she vanished into dust, Maia nodded her head, _**"Watch over Antagh for me."**_

It was silent after that as she sauntered over to where I was, heels stomping on whatever the floor was made out of. Blue and purple crystal tiles? Does that even exist? Whatever the floor is made out of, the walls appeared to be made out of the same thing. Maia gazed down at me from my left side, her long locks of unnatural colored hair gave out a fragrance so pleasing to smell, I could stay here for days on end until my sense of smell becomes dull. She placed her hand on my head, as if she was checking for something but as far as I know, I'm not burning up with a fever.

_**"It's so good to meet you once again, Nick. Make yourself at home. I brought you here for a reason, you know." She almost whispered those words out as she conjured up a plate filled with chocolate chip cookies, beignets and a sundae.**_

I squinted at her, then at the plate then back at her again. "...What are you trying to do here? Make me into a diabetic?"

She shook her head and set the silver plate down beside me. **_"That's not my intent. I want you to feel at peace in a place you've never been in."_**

At peace? Wait. Oh no. Please no.

"I'm not dead, am I?"

She smiled and to my relief, she shook her head again, _**"No, I apologize for the pain I've caused you a little while ago but that was the only way that I can speak to you without having to take you physically from your world."**_

Finally, I managed to sit up. Rubbing my eyes, I took a cookie from the plate and inspected it closely. "How come I can touch this cookie?"

_**"I'm allowing your spirit to touch items freely here. You're in my domain, my temple."**_ She explained, eating a cookie afterwards.

I looked around some more and notice things that rung bells of familiarity to me, such as, a photo of my mom and Menyara, a stand with mangas, video games from Nintendo, a console for said video games, a laptop and the medallion of St. Nicholas near another photo of my mom. I crawled out of the bedsheets and reached out for the photos. It wasn't long before I started to notice a trend. These were things that keep me at peace and always reminded me that I had people I need to guard and protect, no matter what happens. On the laptop screen was a picture of Caleb, Kody and I, surviving through a school day. I laughed at Caleb's usual grumpy expression and smiled warmly at Kody's cheerful grin.

_**"They're the people you would give everything to save, to make them happy. Is that right?"**_

I nodded as I flipped through one of the mangas. "Yeah, they are everything to me."

_**"Then, for their happiness and protection, will you listen to what I have to say?"**_

I closed the manga and turned towards her, my legs crisscrossed, "I'm listening."

She sat beside me and looked across the room that was bigger than any of Kyrian's guest rooms.

_**"As I said before, I know a way to save you from becoming the Malachai. It's something I've waited for millennia to do and it will restore the balance of the macrocosm and bring justice to all the creatures that need it."**_

"You waited for millennia? Why?"

Maia shifted uncomfortably, **_"That, I cannot tell you. All you need to know is that I'm at your side. You're special, Nick. Someone could sense that from far away. I did."_**

I scoffed, "Now, you're sounding a lot like Ambrose."

_**"For a reason, Ambrose has his motives and they are not dissimilar to yours. While I do admire everything he has done to to save himself from becoming the Malachai, his efforts, unbeknownst to him, are futile. Do you want to know why he demands you not to trust in Acheron, not to get close to Simi?"**_

Now that I think about it, my future self refused to elaborate on it completely. Does Maia know the answer?

"Why?"

_**"Before he altered what was originally intended to play out, let's just say he was closer to Simi than you can imagine and when Acheron found out that he knew of Simi's existence, that's when everything changed for him."**_

"My original past self dated Simi? As in D-A-T-E-D?" I was literally gaping, not that I blame him, Simi is hot but...

She continued, _**"Yes, he didn't know that Simi had a close relationship with Acheron at the time and its his ignorance that led him to become bitter enemies with his best friend. He was so distraught by the betrayal that he failed make sure his mother was safe from the daimons that roamed nearby and thus, Cherise was killed by one of them."**_

Those last words punched me through the gut. Now it is all starting to make sense. It started to make sense why Ambrose wanted me to distance myself from Ash, it makes sense why he doesn’t want me to get close to Simi.

**_“I don’t want to think that your situation is hopeless, Nicholas, but I don’t want to lie to you either. Your future self, Ambrose, has already altered time in ways we can’t perceive. Do you want to know the punishment for such thing? Excluding everything that is holding him back, he’ll be given a punishment much worse than death. Eternal imprisonment and torture.”_**

I can sense the severity in her voice, it was chilling. Maia picked up one of the photos of my mom and gazed at it gloomily, then looked at me and said something I thought no one would say to me directly at my face, especially since it involves my mom’s life.

_**“One thing you must accept and get through your mind, Nicholas, is that but immortal and mortal creatures are all a part of life and death. Your mother will die soon. Accept that. It has been written in the Universal Archives created by the Source itself. Ambrose only has altered the ways in which Cherise dies, yet each time, she still perishes. This time, in your time, it’s no different.”**_

**_“In order to control the demon in you, in order to prepare for that day to come, you must accept her death. Spend as much time with your mother as can because when valuable things or people are lost, almost always they can never be retrieved. Or they can be but you will be risking something else in the process."_**

If I wanted to say something, or do something, I can’t, because I felt as if energy was drained from me.

"Is that all you have to say? That the one person who I know for certain loves me more than anyone, is just going to die at a moments notice?" My voice sounded hoarse but I didn't care, this was my mom we're talking about.

Again, Maia’s yellow eyes turned more cloudy, as she averted those eyes away from me. The truth not only hurt me, it hurt her as well. At least she didn't sugarcoat anything, that was good, maybe I could trust her. My alarm systems didn't go off as if she were a threat.

_**"Forgive me, I believe today has been long and stressful."**_ The woman sat by the window where the sun's rays beamed through the glass.

_**"...Now that we got that out of the way. Just as I swore, I'm going to help you not become the Ambrosius Malachai so soon or at least teach you how to gain dominance over the demon. But first, I would like a response to this: Are you willing to risk everything for the safety of the universe itself?"**_

That question should be an easy one, but as I thought it through according to the bigger picture then, the question I asked myself is: Am I willing to? I looked back at the many memories me and other people that I love have created. Those small moments impacted me, even if some were not as pleasant as others. If the universe simply just disappeared, we would all too and I don’t think Heaven would accept a Malachai through the gates, right?

I picked up a photo of my mom and I when I was just a toddler. She looked so happy, even though we barely have enough to get by. I remembered all those times I've made her upset or angry and she didn't deserve to go through my crap. Immediately, I felt extremely guilty and to think she had a choice to give me up for adoption.

_**"All the small moments you have with everyone in this life is what makes up their overall character as well as your own. We knew from the start that you are unique, the only one of your kind that can truly understand what it feels like to feel love, friendship, rejoice and among other positive emotions. Your father could have that potential but he did not know human customs at the time."**_

I raised my eyebrow skeptically at her, "What does this have to do with him?"

She sauntered across the room, _**"There are a lot of things you don't know but in time you'll understand. Now, your training will start soon. Even as the Malachai, you are still a teenage human boy. There's hope."**_

She stopped walking for a moment, closed her eyes and conjured up a gold ring with a green gem in it's center. She flatten out my right hand and place the ring on my palm.

_**"Before I return you to Earth, I give you this. Think about it as a genie in a bottle. Called upon me whenever you need help with something or when a situation is life threatening. V pnyy hcba lbhe nvq, Znvn is the enchantment."**_

Wow, it looks...expensive.

"If I lose this, how much do I need to pay for a replacement?" Cause certainly, I don't think my mom would be fond of paying for jewelry, especially since she'll question where I got the ring from.

_**"It'll find it's way to you."**_ Was all Maia said before everything around me started to disappear in white light. I had to cover my eyes due to the brightness.

**_"Keep my existence a secret, if other beings find out about me, they'll do anything to conceal my powers. They know I'm a threat to them. You know who I'm referring to."_**

**. . .**

"He's not dead, is he?"

"Don't even think about it, mijo. He's breathing, él esta vivo. Todo estádar bien."

I began to hear the conversation clearly when Rosa finished. I can't open my eyes for some reason but I can hear them just as clearly as I heard the door to the room open and Kyrian's stealthy footsteps on the floor.

"Please tell me he's awake. His mom is just outside of the front door and-"

Caleb interrupted him, "You're afraid to face the mother beast?"

". . .Precisely."

My mom’s here?! Oh crap.

"No te preocupes, I'll make sure she's busy but it won't be for long." I heard Rosa head out the room seconds later.

"Cherise is going to go for our blood, Mr. Hunter." Caleb said that as if my mom actually posed a threat to him, which for the record, he has every right to be.

"I know, I hope Rosa finds a way to calm her down about Nick's situation. He should've gone home an hour ago but this is so sudden and strange. Since you were there when he passed out, did he suffer from any injuries?"

"No, Nick was walking up the front stairs until he suddenly screamed. The whole neighborhood could've heard his sonic girl scream and I got out of my car just to catch him from falling. Rosa went to answer the front door seconds later. He didn't have any wounds, we had no practice today."

"Well, at least he's physically unharmed because if he wasn't...his mother would give me the biggest migraine my life has ever experienced."

You got that right, Boss.

Faintly, I could hear the front door open and my mom’s screeching send my alarm systems erratic like someone toying an outlet with a metal fork. Usually, I perceived this as a need to come to her side and make sure no one does her any harm or robs hers. Right now, I need to get out of bed but my body refused to even move the slightest bit of muscle.

"Where's my son?! Why hasn't he come home yet?! I called him, texted him, called the school’s administrators and Mr. Hunter yet my boy's not home!"

I painfully had to hear the worry in her voice as I heard her stomping the staircase like madman. I should be terrified yet I should be blaming myself for making her worry this much. If I don't arrive at the condominium on time, she'll notice and I'll bet she'll even call in a search party just to find me.

Kyrian went downstairs to address the situation yet my mom was convinced I was dead, kidnapped, or fell victim to sex traffickers.

I guess Caleb sat beside me since I felt the mattress sink on my left side. He pulled the covers towards my chin and readjusted my head on probably two or three pillows. His hands were warm and for some unexplained reason, the worry I had vanished instantly just like what happened in chemistry when my temper exploded. This was so bizarre or maybe I'm the one making it seem so, either way, I appreciate Caleb's caring side even if he doesn't show it often or has never admitted to having one.

"You're so much trouble for all that's worth, Nick and yet you somehow make my miserable life worth living. I don't understand how."

Blood rushed towards my cheeks when he said that. What the heck?! Why did I react this way? I have gone insane or something. It must be just a dream, right? Or I could've ate a lot of chocolate chip cookies and suffer from food coma, right? Or I could have a fever, that would explain everything, right? No, it's been years since I was. No matter what I tried, given the fact that I still couldn't move at all, my heart just can't find their brakes to slow down.

"Nick? Are you awake?" I think that Caleb finally noticed my struggle to get out of my somewhat sleep paralysis.

_'Yes!'_ I telepathically told him and hoped he responded back.

. . .Nothing but slience.

"I must've gone crazy."

Damn it!

"Nekoda! Thank the Source you're here! I need you to help me wake up sleeping beauty pronto."

Kody's here!

I heard the heels of her boots click on the ground as she neared me, her vanilla scent consumed the air in my nostrils and I felt reassured.

Her small hand traveled towards my forehead then she concluded, "I don't know what's going on. He seems to be breathing yet some type of power is preventing me from waking him up. I suppose you're unable to as well."

"What do we do? His mom is literally downstairs."

"I don't know, Malphas. I don't recognize this aura before. It's not his power, that's for sure but maybe someone else's."

"Do you think he's in another realm?"

_'Um. Guys. I'm right here! Why can't you communicate with me through my head?!'_

"No, his spirit seems to be here, he's just-"

Before Kody could finish off that sentence, the door to the room slammed opened with my mom screaming my name as she approached me. She grabbed my arms and shook me. In that instance, I finally opened my eyes and I can feel body again. Maybe I shouldn't have open my eyes because the first thing I saw was my mom’s teary ones.

And that was the perfect moment to claim that I'm completely worthless. I can't even prevent my own mother from crying because of me.

**. . .**

"Seriously Nick, stop gawking at everything you see in my house. It's as if you've never been in here before."

I scoffed as I placed my bag down on one of his designer sofas, "You mean 'Mansion' with a capital 'M'? As far as I'm concerned, this place is like half the size of the school. If you left me alone in one of your guest rooms right now with no directions to the front door, I might as well sniff my way out."

Caleb laughed as he kicked off his dark shoes on the mat of the front door, picked them up and placed them in a dark wood, elegant drawer to his right.

"Hmm. You know what. I should probably start doing that. Wouldn't like to make your life easier now would I?"

"You're the son of Satan, I swear."

"You're literally the equivalent of that."

"Hate it when you point out the truth."

"The pleasure is all mine, now, we're going to have to wait for Nekoda to come here and someone else."

My eyebrow arched up, "Someone else?"

Caleb sighed as he rubbed his temple.

"Simi."

"Oh. Should I ask why?"

The daeva only answered, "She kept following me everywhere saying that her 'Arki' went on important business for something and well, she was bored and wanted to know what you're doing."

"This happened when I was out?"

"Of course it did, silly! The Simi has not seen you, blue eyed human. The Simi swears that you boys are invincible. Or it is invisible. Oh, no matters!"

The familiar sing-along voice just echoed from a hallway as I turned around to see Simi with her usual goth gear, corset, and black doc martens. She skipped through the hallway towards me and I took a step back when she stopped three inches away from me.

"Hi Simi."

"Ooh, Nick, Nick, Nick. Your mama was outs for blood minutes early. But she made the Simi confused. How can someone shows two emotions at once. It makes no sense, like stump zero sense. I asked Arki about it once and Arki said that somes points in a human's life, they feels like that."

"Yeah, so where did your Arki go?"

Simi sat on the same sofa as my bag. "The Simi begged Arki if she can go with him but he said no. Do you know how annoying 'no's' are? No Simi, don't do that Simi, not now Simi, you can't eats them Simi. Then what's the Simi gotta eat then? The Simi's barbecue sauce is hungry and patiently waiting too."

"You won't have to wait long, Simi. We'll be needing your barbecue sauce soon." Another feminine voice spoke from the front door of the mansion.

Kody had on a pink turtleneck, black jeans and the pink boots she always preferred to wear. Beautiful as she always has, she sauntered across the entrance towards the expansive living room where we were. She asked about Simi and Simi herself told her that Arki was on important business. The rest got explained by Caleb.

I basically explained everything that was happened to me since last Friday and the fact I passed out due to reasons I can't tell because of Maia. Simi tilted her head eerily and told me to be extra careful. Kody was going to keep an eye out for 'the-god's-name-I-can't-say' and the minions he would send out. As we discussed the situation further, I felt something touch my shoulder. I would've reacted differently if it weren't from the sudden calm sensation I felt radiating from the being.

'Maia?'

_**'Yes, it's me. Your allies are planning to hide you from Noir to the best of their ability, right?'** _

I couldn't see her anywhere in the livingroom but I can hear her.

'Yes, maybe you can help us stop him, somehow?'

**_'If only that were simple. Noir is a primary God, not just any. Even right now, if you dare face him, it's a guarantee that he'll enslave you, just like the Malachai before you. I suggest you should stay close with your friends, guard your mother and figure out a way to deceive Noir without direct confrontation.'_**

'That makes sense but how do I deceive him?'

_**'That is where I come along. I must have your permission to do this. Noir is clever and he knows of my existence already. One of my devoted followers freed me from his realm and I'm finally able to restore what is broken. Trust your instincts, Nick and no matter what happens, don't give in. I can only use my powers so much before it becomes apparent to other creatures.'**_

'Oh, that's explains why you were absent for millennia. Why would he have you imprisoned?'

The air shifted.

_**'I have already said too much. I'll tell you, but now is not the time.'**_

I could've asked more questions but I can’t hear or feel her presence anymore. Caleb flicked my nose once, then twice, then three times.

I waved his hand away and rubbed the center of my face while looking at the daeva in irritation.

He shrugged his shoulders then pointed out, "You went to Imaginary Disneyland or something?"

My mind went blank. "What?"

Kody scooted over to where I was and placed her hand on my forehead. "You don't seem to be overheating. Did you see something?"

I grasped her hand gently. "No, it's just one of those times where my brain just wants to do what it wants. You have nothing to worry about, cher."

Kody gave me that sweet smile. "Okay, since I know you and Caleb will be busy with homework, I'll stay here and make some dinner, or at least make some that's edible."

My eyebrows furrowed. "Cooking is not your strong suit?"

Kody's green eyes gazed off to the side. "Only when the situation calls for it. I feel so stupid when I can't remember what ingredients I put in. I know how to make simple dishes but that's far as my culinary skills can go without the need for a fire extinguisher nearby."

Simi started to jump up and down when she heard the word 'dinner'. "It's dinner time?! Yay, can the Simi help? Arki never let's the Simi cook, or he does but the Simi cooks for herself when Arki nots looking!"

"Um, sure." Kody said with an unsure tone.

Simi grabbed her hand and skipped with her across the corridor to the kitchen.

I caught Caleb smiling at the two before taking out his notebook from his bag. I did the same.

"I don't know why you insist that I should help you with chemistry. Actually, what did the substitute teacher talk to you about?"

I'm sorry Cay, but I can’t tell you about my 'tutor'.

"My grade in chemistry. He said I should work more harder to get it up and take more extra credits."

"Really?" He put a lot of emphasis on that one word.

"Really." I said back. "Where should we study? I would like to see your video game collection after this."

He rolled his eyes. "Is that the real reason you begged your mom to let you stay here for the night?"

"Oh my _beau_ , you know me so well."

Caleb could've said something back, instead, he swiftly turned himself around and headed up on a staircase.

"Hey! Don't leave me!" I shouted so the whole mansion echoed.

When I got upstairs, I've could've sworn that I need a map of the mansion. Memorizing where everything was in Kyrian's mansion was one thing but remembering where everything is in a house that's half the size as a school is another. Caleb disappeared in one of the rooms and I'm going to search all of them, even if it takes me forever.

It's been like, half an hour since I started the search, until I walked towards a closed door. It was unlocked, so I twisted the doorknob to reveal my friend dress for bed. He was on the edge of his bed and when he noticed me come in, he gave me an amusing grin.

"I can't get a break from you, can I?"

The tired daeva let himself fall on the mattress, his arms stretched wide on both sides. This was when I started to get a good look at his room. Nothing too exaggerated here except, well, the furniture was modern and brought from actual furniture stores, unlike the mattress my mom brought in a yard sale a couple of years back. Beside a window, there was a bookshelf full of video games from past years ever since Nintendo started it's industry.

I sat on a beanbag in front of the huge flat screen TV and waited. It was so quiet that I could hear the AC running and Kody and Simi using the kitchen stove downstairs. The only light source in the room was a blue lava lamp and the dim moonlight from outside. I bet Kyrian is out there, kicking some major daimon ass. I could also be certain that Ash is doing the same thing, though, I guess I understand why Ambrose has doubts about him.

Wait. . .is Ash. . .Simi's. . .fa-

"You spaced out. Again."

I heard Caleb plopped himself beside me, with a game controller and the TV remote.

"I guess I'm spacing out more often than usual. Must be my powers honing up then."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "I don't know if I should take that as a good or a bad thing."

"How so?"

"Think of yourself as an embryo. Your father has full control of his powers and one day, you will too. Right now, you're like a glass canon. You hold so much power yet you don't know how to control it."

"Haa, that definitely a _good_ thing. Break all of my bones, why won't you? it's not like I had a broken bone before." What's the point in having that much power if you can't control it, it's like feeding your dog food but it has no teeth.

Caleb continued, "You should also consider it an advantage, once you have complete control, you'll be able to defend your without putting people in harm's way and that's if you manage to dominate the Malachai inside you. If you don't, well. . .I'll let your imagination answer that for you."

"Yeah, I don't plan to let that happen anytime soon. I would rather die than have you and the others get shredded by me."

He smiled as he handed over another controller. "That's your human heart talking and I respect that."

"Buttt? Don't tell me that you're just going to let me turn out that way. I know you're here because my father enslaved you but I don't see you as miserable as you were before you met me. And don't lie to me, I have little patience for people like that and I know you're not one of them."

Caleb gave me a look that took me a little longer to decipher. It was a mix between sadness, confusion and guilt. The TV switched on to a screen where it said 'start' in the center. When Caleb started the game, I didn't really paid much attention to what the name of the game was, just the fact that the game had started. We played a few rounds of racing. Sometimes Caleb won and other times I did but I felt an empty void while doing so. Usually, I enjoy gaming, now...

Ugh, what the hell is wrong with me? I mean, in general, I am the top loser dork of an entire school, with the world's ugliest shirt and girly dimples that won't go away, I mean, what else is wrong about me? Oh yeah, I'm a killer demon destined to destroy the world and I thought going through puberty was bad. Caleb directed his attention towards me once more and caught off guard, I froze in place when the light of the TV revealed just how perfect he was compared to me. He has a good reputation, a rich home, numerous video games, a Porsche, he's handsome and has a body every man in this world would die for. I'm no where near his level and yet we're here as friends, best friends in fact, or at least to me.

I honestly don't know what he sees me as. I haven't been the best of company for the demon who's enslaved. He risks his life for my own and deals with my crap everyday, nonstop. I wondered how his life was back then. Well, I got a glimpse of it. Maybe if I ask him. . .no, he would take that personally. Well, there's one way to find out.

"Caleb?"

"Yes?"

I breathed out as I played with the buttons on the color coded controller. "Since you're a demon who has lived a long time and has been through a lot, what was your past like? Did you have a wife, kids, or did you live with your siblings?"

Caleb stiffen as he crossed his legs, his eyes focused on the screen. "Why are you asking?"

Because I would like to know why you're such a grump all the time?

"Because I've been thinking about what you said about your parents when we first met. After Stone wanted to Vader-choke me to death and you came along. I remember you saying that your mother is a housewife and your father a stockbroker, maybe they could be the preternatural equivalent of-"

"I have to stop you right here. My family's business remains my family's business. Also, I didn't say that my mother was a housewife, I said that she was a concubine who sold her soul to my father."

I rolled my eyes when he corrected me. "I was close."

He shook his head, some of his hair strands moved along with him. "The only thing I'm at liberty to say is that I prefer to minimize my contact with them at all times. My mother didn't give two shits about me and I have nothing to do with my father. He's the worthless scum who made my life a living hell."

"And your siblings?"

"My relationship with all of them is such a mindfuck that I don't know what stance I have with them at this point. Some care about me, some don't, some hates the air I'm breathing and some. . ." Caleb went quiet. It was if he had a moment of fear, a moment of hurt and it quickly turned to one of abhorrence.

Based off of his facial expression, I conjectured, "Let me guess. One of your siblings hurt you so bad that it scarred you for life? What did they do? Lead your wife to her death or something?"

Perhaps now was a good time to reconsider what I just said and my life.

Caleb’s eyes immediately flashed a serpentine yellow. He knocked the Nintendo controller out of my hands as he tackled me to the blue carpet on the floor in a split of a second, faster than my eyes can detect. I was waiting for my head to suffer from a hit but didn't come, in fact, my head rested comfortably. Caleb’s hands were holding down my arms, both of them extended out above my head. I tried to move my legs but Caleb's weight was keeping them still.

A few moments later, we were still in the same position. I don't like the idea of someone on top of me by any circumstance. And definitely not by some actual demon who looks like I'm his next meal. I am not afraid and I am not a coward either. I face my problems head on, like a airplane zipping through air without pause. Yet despite all of this, why is my heart accelerating, why do I feel shivers down my spine? If this is my body's way of telling me that I'm dying, then I refuse to accept it. I'm still young and I have yet to give Kody something for our anniversary!

The daeva closed his eyes as his eyebrows furrowed and I heard him clenched his teeth together, like he was being pulled by something.

"Cay?" I called him in a surprisingly soft voice.

I got up instantly and red glowing dust surrounded him as he transformed in to a raven.

"Caleb! Where are you going?!"

He opened the window and flew into the dark night abyss.

I jumped on my feet as I headed towards the window. The cool breeze left me some time to rationalize. When I realized why Caleb left in a hurry, my blood started boiling.

What does Adarian want with him now?

It's frustrating to know that I can't go near that heartless monster without some control over my powers. All I can do is pray and wait for Caleb to come safely home.

I waited, waited and waited until I somehow fell asleep on something soft. I didn't know why I suddenly care too much for my bodyguard. My only guess was that he's someone in my life that deserves to have someone who's by his side also guarding him, like a return the favor. Or maybe there was something else I haven't realized. Whatever that 'something' was, I have a feeling that it's going to change a lot of things for me.

Whether that would be good or bad for the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prologue  
> Chapter 1 - A Demon in Need -  
> Chapter 2 - Weirder to Weirdest -  
> Chapter 3 - Not Enough for Society -  
> Chapter 4 - More to Books than Pages -  
> Chapter 5 - Mr. Graves and the Voice -  
> Chapter 6 - Video Games vs. Reality -
> 
> Current Chapter Drafting
> 
> Chapter 7 - Assassin's Blade of Grief -
> 
> Excerpt on Chapter 7
> 
> "You might not see them again after what's going to happen and that event is dreadfully soon."
> 
> Yet again, I woke up from a nightmare that has been plaguing me since I last spoke to Her. I never told anyone about that particular meeting because I never found it necessary. I've also dreaded this day because today is the day my father will be judged upon and the final verdict is decided by the Supreme Judges. Kelyrr always remarked that his mother had lost her mind since his Ritual of Passage, but I knew the truth about her intentions. Understandably, they are reasonable.
> 
> I can tell that the whole city was anxious, due to the small amount of people that walked by the markets along the wide gray roads. My eyes can only view them from inside the corridors and the sound of static outside was notable. The white sky didn’t seem to clear up and therefore, the confrontation of Marencia's accusations has to take place indoors.
> 
> I remain seated near a large rectangular window. Most of the green curtains were concealing the light on others, but not this one. A book that I've read five times became warm in my hands and the others sat upon each other, next to a large sliver plate filled with pastries my brother likes to call his "Specialty".
> 
> A servant approached me with a terrified look on her face, her hands were shaking when she handed over a piece of parchment with coarse writing that appeared to have been written in a moments notice.
> 
> I recognized who gave the paper to me and tried to ease her nervousness. "Thank you for all that you do here, Siah."
> 
> "Y-your welcome, your Highness." She said that sentence so quietly that I could only make out a few words before processing the rest.
> 
> Yes. . .I almost forgot about my unfortunate 'aura', it's what makes people afraid of me.


End file.
